About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Fundamentals of Sustainable Metallurgy and Processing of Materials
|
| Presentation Title |
Neodymium Extraction from Spent Magnet Using Molten Salt: FactSage Simulation |
| Author(s) |
Rahmadhani Triastomo, Sheila Devasahayam, Rakesh Velpoor, M. Akbar Rhamdhani |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Rahmadhani Triastomo |
| Abstract Scope |
The rising demand for rare earth elements (REEs), particularly neodymium (Nd), for high-performance magnets leads to intensified mining with hazardous waste and significant environmental harm. Hence, it emphasises the need for greener alternatives, such as recovering Nd from recycled NdFeB permanent magnets. Molten salt chloride enables selective Nd extraction from spent magnets without aqueous waste and with no carbon emission. This study undertakes FactSage thermochemical simulations to assess binary and ternary chloride systems between NdCl₃, LiCl, AlCl₃, and MgCl₂ for Nd recovery. Phase diagrams and equilibrium calculations show that the LiCl–AlCl₃ system yields the lowest liquidus temperatures, 485 °C at LiCl fractions of 56 mol% with 5 mol% Nd, due to AlCl₃'s strong Lewis acidity. AlCl₃'s Lewis acidity depresses melting and enhances Nd solubility. These results identify LiCl–AlCl₃ as the optimal binary medium for low-temperature Nd extraction from recycled magnets for experimental purposes. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Sustainability, Recycling and Secondary Recovery, Modeling and Simulation |