Research on the Reuse of Waste Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr Alloy as a High-Performance Hydrogen Storage Material

Magnesium structural materials are widely used in aerospace, high-end equipment, and other fields. However, the substantial volume of processing scrap generated during manufacturing and machining, coupled with end-of-life components from Mg structural materials after service, leads to significant resource wastage and poses a considerable environmental burden. Conventional recycling via remelting is not only energy-intensive but also leads to unavoidable losses. In this work, the waste Mg-12Gd-4Y-1Zn-0.3Zr (GWZ1241K) alloy swarf was obtained through simple machining. After multiple hydrogen absorption-desorption cycles, the alloy swarf was pulverized and exhibited excellent hydrogen storage performance, achieving a maximum hydrogen storage capacity of 6.242 wt.% and a reversible cyclic hydrogen storage capacity of 4.6 wt.% at 300 °C. This research demonstrates a new and promising route for the value-added recycling of rare earth magnesium alloy waste, demonstrating significant potential for the upgraded application from structural waste to functional materials.