Closing the Lifecycle of Rare Earth Magnets: Discovery of Neodymium in Slag from Steel Mills

Analysis of slag from steel mini-mills reveals that substantial amounts of the rare earth element neodymium (Nd, an average of 0.032wt% in the tested samples) are present in this waste product. This provides insight into a currently unknown part of the rare earth lifecycle after the end-of-life for rare earth magnet motors. Furthermore, slag from steel mini-mills that reprocess steel scrap is therefore an important potential source of the rare earth element Nd especially in countries without established mining operations or direct access to rare earth ores.