Neodymium Magnet Recycling Patents: Leaders, Trends & White Space 2026
- Filings roughly tripled from 2021 to 2024 (+200%), signalling renewed commercial interest even as the two most recent years remain undercounted by publication lag.
- One assignee holds 12 of the ranked filings while the rest of the ranked leaders sit at two or fewer, pointing to a single well-resourced filer surrounded by a long tail of small and single-filing entrants.
- C22B metal extraction claims cover 75.9% of the 29 records in scope, meaning most protected ground is chemical recovery, not the mechanical disassembly or sorting steps that precede it.
Filing growth compares 2021 (1 records) with 2024 (3) — a three-year span. 2024 is the most recent year we treat as complete: publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in and any growth rate that ends there would understate the field.
What this landscape covers
This landscape tracks patent activity at the intersection of magnet scrap recovery and neodymium (rare earth) recycling from end-of-life products, spanning hydrogen-based processing, demagnetization, disassembly automation, coating removal, alloy reuse and impurity-tolerant recovery routes. The scope is narrow by design: the search string pairs magnet-recycling terms with specific process steps, so the 29 records in scope represent a tightly filtered technical niche rather than the broader rare-earth supply chain.
Coverage runs from 2015 through the mid-2026 data cut-off. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, activity in 2025 and 2026 is still incomplete in this dataset and should not be read as a slowdown.
Filing trends and technology composition
The record set is small enough that individual filings move the picture, but the composition and timing still point to where claim density is building and where it is not.
Filing trend: a small but reviving field
Filings peaked at 5 in 2017, cooled, then rebuilt from 1 in 2021 to 3 in 2024 — a +200% rise over that span, the most recent period the dataset can treat as complete given publication lag. Read the 2025-2026 dip as incomplete data, not declining interest.
Technology composition: recovery chemistry dominates
C22B (metal extraction and refining) appears in 75.9% of the 29 records and H01F (magnets, inductors and transformers) in 58.6%, confirming that most claims sit on the chemical and material-recovery side. Electrolytic routes (C25C, C25F) and powder metallurgy (B22F) each appear in well under a quarter of records, and organo-metallic recovery chemistry (C07F) and alloy claims (C22C) are thinner still.
Shares are the percentage of the 29 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Recycling of Neodymium Magnets from End of Life Products with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about recycling of neodymium magnets from end of life products and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaMost-cited records in this landscape
Method for recovery of Nd2Fe14B grains from bulk sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets and/or magnet scraps by electrochemical etching
The filing describes anodically oxidizing sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets or magnet scrap in a non-aqueous liquid electrolyte, releasing Nd2Fe14B grains from the bulk material for collection during or after oxidation. The method is presented as a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative to conventional recycling of end-of-life Nd-Fe-B magnets and magnet scrap.Filed by Institut Jozef Stefan, published 2020-05-28.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20210277531A1 | Selective sulfidation and desulfidation | 20 |
| 2 | US20180171434A1 | Rare Earth Materials Recovery System | 7 |
| 3 | WO2017011368A1 | An improved process for the recovery of rare earth metals from permanent magnets | 7 |
| 4 | WO2018037241A1 | PROCESSING OF NdFeB MAGNETIC MATERIAL | 4 |
| 5 | US20180202025A1 | An improved process for the recovery of rare earth metals from permanent magnets | 4 |
| 6 | EP4066963A1 | Method of forming a starting material for producing rare earth permanent magnets from recycled materials and … | 2 |
| 7 | EP4632771A1 | A method for rapid sintering of rare-earth magnet powders based on thermal radiation and/or convection | 1 |
| 8 | US20200199709A1 | Process for the recovery of rare earth metals from permanent magnets | 1 |
| 9 | US20200168395A1 | METHOD FOR RECOVERY OF Nd2Fe14B GRAINS FROM BULK SINTERED Nd-Fe-B MAGNETS AND/OR MAGNET SCRAPS BY ELECTROCHEM… | 1 |
| 10 | EP3504350A1 | PROCESSING OF NdFeB MAGNETIC MATERIAL | 1 |
Citation counts are drawn from the searched corpus only and favour older filings; treat them as a signal of influence within this dataset, not a ranking of current technical importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three patterns stand out once the record set is broken down by assignee, technology class and geography.
One filer, then a long tail
The leading assignee accounts for 12 of the ranked filings, while fifth place holds only 2 and tenth place holds 1. That gap suggests a single organisation has built a filing programme around this process while most other entrants have tested the water with one or two filings.
Recovery in filing activity
After a 2017 peak of 5 filings and a subsequent lull, activity rebuilt from 1 filing in 2021 to 3 in 2024. That three-year window is the clearest complete signal in the dataset and points to renewed commercial interest rather than a maturing, saturated field.
US and PCT lead filing venues
The United States receives the most filings (10), followed by WIPO PCT routes (6) and the EPO (5), with China, Austria and Germany each in single digits. That spread indicates applicants are pursuing broad international protection through PCT rather than concentrating on any one jurisdiction.
Chemistry, not disassembly, is the claimed ground
Three in four records carry a C22B metal-extraction classification against 58.6% for H01F magnet-specific claims. Mechanical and electrolytic surface-preparation classes (C25F, B09B) each sit near or under 14%, suggesting the physical steps ahead of chemical recovery are comparatively lightly claimed.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to recycling of neodymium magnets from end of life products, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is active, and where the field is still open
The ranked assignee list is short — 12 companies and research institutions in total — and momentum has cooled across the board in the latest tracked year, which is consistent with publication lag rather than an actual pullback.
A single dominant filer
One assignee holds a clear lead over the rest of the ranked list, with no other entrant approaching double digits. That scale suggests a deliberate, sustained filing programme rather than opportunistic single filings.
Universities and institutes hold early positions
Research institutions including Institut Jozef Stefan, the University of Birmingham, the University of Houston System and MIT appear in the ranking but show no filings in the latest tracked year, consistent with academic groups establishing early technical positions rather than running ongoing filing programmes.
Collaboration is rare and localized
Only two co-assignee pairs appear in the dataset, one linking two individual inventors and another linking two related Chinese magnet manufacturers. Formal joint filing is not yet a pattern in this niche.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Institut Jozef Stefan | 0 | — |
| University of Birmingham | 0 | — |
| University of Houston System | 0 | — |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 0 | — |
| YEPURI DURGA | 0 | -100% |
| POOVAYAL NALLASAMI | 0 | -100% |
| N9VE NATURE OCEAN & VALUE LDA | 0 | -100% |
| Yantai Zhenghai Magnetic Material Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The record set here is narrow enough that a single new filing can shift the ranking. Use it as a starting map, not a final answer.
Track the leading filer's claim scope
With one assignee holding 12 of the ranked filings, understanding exactly which process steps its claims cover is the first thing to check before designing a competing route.
Explore assignee claim scope in EurekaWatch the disassembly and pretreatment gap
Mechanical and surface-preparation classes remain thin relative to the dominant metal-extraction chemistry, which is where new filings are most likely to find open ground.
Run a white space search in EurekaCommon questions on neodymium magnet recycling patents
This landscape identifies 29 published records in scope, covering filings from 2015 through the mid-2026 data cut-off. The search focuses specifically on magnet scrap recovery and neodymium recovery combined with process steps such as hydrogen processing, demagnetization, disassembly automation, coating removal, alloy reuse and impurity tolerance, so the true count of all rare-earth recycling activity is broader than this niche figure. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the 2025 and 2026 figures are still incomplete and will rise as more filings publish.
The ranking covers 12 companies and research institutions in total, with the leading assignee holding 12 filings against a long tail where fifth place holds only 2 and tenth place holds just 1. Several university and research groups, including Institut Jozef Stefan, the University of Birmingham, the University of Houston System and MIT, appear in the ranking, indicating that academic institutions have staked early positions alongside industrial filers. Co-filing between assignees is rare in this dataset, with only two identified co-assignee pairs.
Metal extraction and refining chemistry, classified under IPC C22B, appears in 75.9% of the 29 records in scope, making it the single most claimed technical area. Magnet-specific classifications under H01F appear in 58.6% of records, while electrolytic production and cleaning routes (C25C, C25F) and powder metallurgy (B22F) each sit under a quarter of records. This distribution shows that chemical recovery of rare-earth content from magnet material is far more heavily claimed than the mechanical disassembly, sorting or coating-removal steps that typically precede it.
Filing activity rebuilt from 1 filing in 2021 to 3 in 2024, a rise the evidence describes as +200% over that span, following an earlier peak of 5 filings in 2017. The 2024 figure is the most recent year that can be treated as complete; 2025 and 2026 data points are still filling in due to publication lag and should not be read as a decline. Overall, the pattern is one of renewed rather than steadily accelerating interest, in a still-small dataset where individual filings carry real weight.
Relative to the dominant C22B metal-extraction chemistry, technical classes tied to mechanical and physical pretreatment, such as coating removal, automated disassembly and electrolytic surface cleaning, appear in a much smaller share of the 29 records. Organo-metallic recovery chemistry (C07F) and alloy-specific claims (C22C) are also thin, each appearing in roughly one in ten records. These under-claimed branches are worth checking against the leading assignee's actual claim scope before filing, since a narrow record count can also mean a route has not yet been tried at scale rather than that it is open.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company’s registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.