Element recovery method and element recovery apparatus

An element recovery method comprising:

• placing an object to be processed and an electrode member in contact with molten salt, the object to be processed being conductive and containing at least two rare earth elements, wherein the object to be processed is previously pulverized and is held in a basket, the basket being a member configured to wrap the object to be processed, and wherein one of the at least two of the rare earth elements has a first deposition potential and the other of the at least two of the rare earth elements has a second deposition potential, and the first deposition potential is higher than the second deposition potential;
• eluting the at least two of the rare earth elements from the object to be processed held in the basket into the molten salt by controlling electric potentials in the object to be processed and the electrode member while keeping the object to be processed and the electrode member in contact with the molten salt,
• after the at least two of the rare earth elements are eluted from the object to be processed, depositing one of the rare earth elements on the electrode member by controlling an electrical potential of the electrode member so as to set the electrical potential of the electrode member at a first value lower than the first deposition potential and higher than the second deposition potential;
• and
• after the electrical potential of the electrode member is set at the first value, setting the electrical potential of the electrode member at a second value lower than the second deposition potential,
• wherein the deposition potentials for the at least two rare earth elements are different for each of the at least two rare earth elements and depend on the composition and temperature of the molten salt, and
• wherein during the controlling of the electric potentials in the object to be processed and the electrode member, the electric potentials in the object to be processed and the electrode member in contact with the molten salt are changed.