Recycling of Strontium Ferrite Waste in a Permanent Magnet Manufacturing Plant

Residues resulting from the manufacture of strontium ferrite magnets have been recycled for further use in magnet fabrication instead of disposal as waste. The quality of the recycled ferrite powder has been tested and compared to that of the new starting ferrite material. The magnetic properties of the recycled powder not only match those of the starting material acquired by the company for the production of magnets but exceed them. A coercivity value 3.5 times larger than that of the new starting ferrite powder, accompanied by a 25% increase in remanence, makes this material a new and improved ferrite product to re-enter the production chain in the factory with an extended applications range. This improvement is proven to be due to tuning of the morphology and microstructure through processing and subsequent heat treatment. The use of processing conditions in the same range as those typically used in the preparation of ferrite powders and magnets, in combination with the superior magnetic quality of the resulting powders, makes this method a suitable path to guarantee sustainability and an efficient use of resources in permanent magnet companies.