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October 22, 2024
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2 minute read
Ce-NdFeB: A gift or a curse for the rare earths industry?
In recent years, production of cerium-containing sintered NdFeB magnets in China has soared following years of concentrated research and government directives aimed at identifying new commercial uses for chronically overproduced cerium.
On one hand, the rapid commercialization and scale-up of Ce-NdFeB in China has been a success. We estimate that magnets were responsible for 18% of global cerium oxide consumption last year, up from just 5% in 2017. The use of Ce-NdFeB magnets in low-performance applications like audio speakers, e-bike motors, industrial applications and more has enabled an otherwise-thin supply of NdPr oxide to go further – to yield more magnetic alloys than it otherwise would.
