Abstract: A method for producing rare earth metal-nickel hydrogen occlusive alloy ingot that contains 90 vol % or more of crystals having a crystal grain size of 1 to 50 .mu.m as measured along a short axis of the crystal and 1 to 100 .mu.m as measured along a long axis of the crystal. The method for producing the rare earth metal-nickel hydrogen occlusive alloy ingot involves melting a rare earth metal-nickel alloy and uniformly solidifying the alloy melt to have a thickness of 0.1 to 20 mm under cooling conditions of a cooling rate of 10.degree. to 1000.degree. C./sec and a sub-cooling degree of 10.degree. to 500.degree. C.

Abstract: A method of recovering a reusable metal from a nickel-hydrogen rechargeable battery characterized in that the method comprises crushing the nickel-hydrogen rechargeable battery to obtain a crushed material, separating alkali, organic substances and iron from the crushed material to obtain a separated component from which at least the alkali, organic substances and iron are separated, obtaining the reusable metal to be recovered as an oxide from the separated component by calcination, and processing the oxide by a molten salt electrolysis method with an electrolytic molten salt bath. According to this method for recovery, electrode materials effective for nickel-hydrogen rechargeable batteries and the like can be recovered efficiently and in a large amount in lower cost compared to the ordinary separation, purification and refining utilizing chemical processing.

Abstract: A rare earth metal-nickel hydrogen occlusive alloy ingot contains 90 vol % or more of crystals having a crystal grain size of 1 to 50 .mu.m as measured along a short axis of the crystal and 1 to 100 .mu.m as measured along a long axis of the crystal. A method for producing the rare earth metal-nickel hydrogen occlusive alloy ingot involves melting a rare earth metal-nickel alloy and uniformly solidifying the alloy melt to have a thickness of 0.1 to 20 mm under cooling conditions of a cooling rate of 10.degree. to 1000.degree. C./sec and a sub-cooling degree of 10.degree. to 500.degree. C.