Shaping Tomorrow’s World with Sustainable Magnetic Solutions
Challenge
The finite supply of rare earth elements (REE) makes them increasingly costly to mine, with significant environmental, economic, and geopolitical impacts. Developing REE-free magnets could alleviate these pressures, reducing costs across technologies and indirectly lowering battery prices by eliminating resource competition.
A transition towards energy sources and sustainable mobility is essential for carbon – neutral, energy – independent Europe as outlined in the European Green Deal, Fit for 55 targets, REPowerEUplan, and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Plans.
By the 2040, the demand for REE, especially for permanent magnets (PM) production is going to be increased. For example, PM used in wind turbines will be more than triple (especially Nd and Pr1). Furthermore, in automotive industry more than 90% of the electrical vehicles sold today use PM synchronous motors with up to 1 kg of REEs per motor.
More than 60% of REEs are extracted and over 90% are refined in China, enabling downstream, high – value segments of production (98% of PM are produced in China). Underdevelopment of the PM value chain and increasing supply dependence form non- EU countries are expected to impact negatively the EU economy and the employment linked to green transition. EU PM end users aim to be less dependent on REE-based PM through system redesign.
magneo cONCEPT
SOLUTION
The MagNEO project will develop new alloy material for permanent magnets, which is REE-free and also develop recycling strategies to allow an efficient reuse of alloys. In addition, the specific project can contribute to transition towards renewable energy sources and sustainable mobility. That is going to be achieved with the performance enhancement of AlNiCo and other similar alloys which can be used as materials of permanent magnets for relevant energy and transportation applications as most promising due their higher coercivity at elevated temperatures.
How It Will Be Achieved:
The MagNEO project will develop new alloy material for permanent magnets, which is REE-free and also develop recycling strategies to allow an efficient reuse of alloys.
How It Will Be Achieved:
Transition towards renewable energy sources
Sustainable mobility
Performance enhancement of AlNiCo and other similar alloys
Transportation applications
Outcomes
A holistic methodology enabling the design of new materials, automated & flexible AM (PBF- LB), and quality assessment of high- performance, REE- free & circular PMs, validated in 5 clean energy and transport related applications (3 in bench tests and 2 via TEA/simulation).
MagNEO encompasses a workflow from design to manufacturing and recycling supported by LCA/LCCA/STA, including:
Advanced multi-scale modelling
Machine Learning (ML)
Enhanced and EoL strategies
(direct & indirect recycling)
Improved REE-free magnets
Impact
The replacement of REE for permanent magnet production with REE-free AlNiCo alloys, something which will help to develop with high-quality knowledge (methods, tools. data) to solve material innovations towards sustainable and resilient magnets/components something which will be an extra push for the for the green transition. Specifically, this going to be valuable for clean-energy and sustainable-mobility applications. Furthermore, that will contribute to the reduction of Europe’s dependence on unstable markets and leverage competitiveness, leadership, and enabling business opportunities across the PMs circular value chain.
