With the increasing demand of rare earth metals in functional materials, recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) from secondary resources has become important for the green economy transition. Molten salt electrolysis has the advantages of low water consumption and low hazardous waste during REE recovery. This review systematically summarizes the separation and electroextraction of REEs on various reactive electrodes in different molten salts. It also highlights the relationship between the formed alloy phases and electrodeposition parameters, including applied potential, current, and ion concentration. Moreover, the feasibility of using LiF-NaF-KF electrolyte to recover REEs is evaluated through thermodynamic analysis. Problems related to REE separation/recovery the choice of electrolyte are discussed in detail to realize the low-energy and high current efficiency of practical applications.

随着功能材料对稀土金属的需求不断增加，从二次资源中回收稀土元素（REEs）已成为绿色经济转型的重要组成部分。熔盐电解在稀土回收过程中具有耗水量低、危险废物少的优点。本综述系统地总结了不同熔盐中各种反应电极上稀土元素的分离和电萃取。它还强调了形成的合金相与电沉积参数之间的关系，包括施加的电位、电流和离子浓度。此外，通过热力学分析评估了使用 LiF-NaF-KF 电解液回收 REE 的可行性。