Abstract:Rare earth phosphors, which possess high luminous efficiency, good chemical stability and strong luminous brightness, are widely used in rare earth fluorescent lamps. However, fluorescent lamps have a limited service life, which contains a large number of rare earth elements and toxic metals that are harmful to the environment. If not recycled and utilized, they would inevitably cause harm to the environment and human health. In this study, the methods of recovering rare earth elements from waste rare earth phosphors were described, the technological status of physical methods such as flotation, adsorption, mechanical activation and microwave leaching were analyzed, and the research status and potential problems of chemical methods such as extraction, acid leaching, alkali melting roasting and biological method were described in detail. The advantages and disadvantages of different rare earth recovery processes are further compared. The future development of rare earth recovery and utilization technology in waste phosphors is prospected, and guidance is provided for further improving the utilization rate of waste rare earth phosphors.