APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR RECOVERING RARE EARTH METAL FROM RARE EARTH MAGNET

摘要

A rare earth metal recovery apparatus and a rare earth metal recovery method, each of which can recover a rare earth metal from a rare earth magnet and enabled the extraction of the rare earth metal from the rare earth magnet with molten magnesium, the separation between magnesium having the extracted rare earth metal contained therein and a residual component, i.e., a Fe-B alloy, of the rare earth magnet, the separation of the magnesium having the extracted rare earth metal contained therein into the rare earth metal and magnesium, and the purification/reuse of the magnesium. The recovery apparatus comprises a rare earth metal extraction reaction vessel and a magnesium collection vessel, wherein the rare earth metal is extracted from the magnet having the rare earth metal contained therein into the molten liquid magnesium in the rare earth metal extraction reaction vessel, the magnet from which the rare earth metal has been extracted and the liquid magnesium which has the rare earth metal dissolved therein are separated from each other, the magnesium is vaporized from the liquid magnesium having the separated rare earth metal contained therein, and the vaporized magnesium is transferred into the magnesium collection vessel, thereby recovering the rare earth metal and the magnesium.