Swedish researchers map local mineral deposits to loosen the rare-earth chokepoint

Uppsala University is cataloging every element in Sweden's ore bodies, hoping to design magnets that match what the ground already holds.

Researchers at Uppsala University are studying whether Sweden's mineral deposits could support domestic rare earth element and magnet production. Led by materials chemistry professor Martin Sahlberg, the project takes an unusual approach: rather than hunting for a single metal, it catalogs all the elements present in a given deposit, then aims to design magnets whose composition matches what is naturally there — reducing the processing needed to make them.

Sweden has known rare earth deposits at Kiruna, Bergslagen, and Norra Karr outside Granna. Today rare earth magnets are largely manufactured in China, and separating and purifying the elements typically requires toxic chemicals, with radioactive substances frequently present in the ore. Sahlberg points to China halting rare earth exports amid trade tensions as the geopolitical backdrop, and notes Sweden's advantages of good water access and relatively cheap energy.

Rare earth magnets sit inside motors, wind turbines, and countless devices. A supply concentrated in one country is a single point of failure; diversifying it, and cutting the chemical burden of refining, would make the materials behind clean energy and electronics more resilient and less environmentally costly.

This is early work. It is described as application-inspired basic research, not commercial production, and the interdisciplinary project — spanning theoretical physicists, geologists, and materials engineers — is expected to run for many years. The claims come from a single university researcher via a press release, so treat the promise as a direction of travel rather than a near-term supply.

Source: ScienceDaily