Highlights

• KU Leuven discovers NdFeB magnets can be manufactured using mixed rare earth elements without costly high-purity separation.
• Current automotive magnet samples already use mixed rare earth blends while maintaining performance specifications.
• This breakthrough could reduce production costs, environmental impact, and challenge China's rare earth element supply chain dominance.

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A possible breakthrough in rare earths research emerging from KU Leuven’s SOLVOMET Research & Innovation Centre (opens in a new tab) is turning industry assumptions upside down. According to recent findings, high-purity rare earth elements (REEs) are not necessary for the manufacture of Nd-Fe-B (neodymium-iron-boron) permanent magnets — a core component in electric vehicles (EVs), wind turbines, and defense systems.

Dr. Koen Binnemans, (opens in a new tab) a leading authority on hydrometallurgy and rare earth element (REE) chemistry, revealed via LinkedIn that NdFeB magnets can be made from mixtures of rare earths, thereby bypassing the need for costly and resource-intensive purification processes. “This could slash costs and environmental impact,” he stated, “while maintaining the magnetic performance required by today’s advanced technologies.”

Currently, separating individual REEs to 99.9% purity via solvent extraction requires over 1,000 stages — a painstaking and expensive endeavor. Yet, KU Leuven’s analysis of actual automotive magnet samples, including one from a power steering motor, shows the use of mixed REEs:

• Neodymium: 20.9 wt%
• Praseodymium: 4.2 wt%
• Dysprosium: 3.8 wt%
• Terbium: 0.6 wt%
• Gadolinium: 0.2 wt%

“Notably,” Binnemans adds, “these magnets used non-purified REE blends, and yet performed to spec.”

The implications are profound. Instead of relying on ultra-pure neodymium, manufacturers can use mischmetal (opens in a new tab) — a naturally occurring blend of light REEs — with minimal pre-processing. Only samarium needs to be excluded. Moreover, dysprosium and terbium, essential for high-temperature performance, can be added as a combined alloy, sidestepping the difficult and energy-intensive separation between the two.

This revelation arrives at a pivotal moment. As global supply chains strain under China’s dominance of rare earth separation, a paradigm shift toward tolerance for REE impurity could offer new life to ex-China magnet supply chains.

Rare Earth Exchanges Commentary

Binnemans’ insight challenges the prevailing industrial fixation on chemical purity—a costly hangover from legacy applications such as phosphors and lasers. For NdFeB magnets, tolerating mixed REE inputs may unlock new sourcing strategies from low-grade ores, mine tailings, and recycled materials, empowering Western nations to reenter the magnet supply chain on more flexible terms.

This development invites a critical rethink: Are we wasting billions on purifying rare earths beyond what magnets actually need? If so, a cleaner, cheaper, and more geopolitically resilient path lies ahead.