Highlights

• Researchers propose novel debonding strategies to cleanly detach rare earth magnets from motor assemblies using thermal and chemical modifications.
• New techniques could enable magnet reuse, addressing environmental concerns and reducing dependence on China's rare earth production.
• Potential breakthrough aims to support sustainable magnet recovery in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and electronics by 2030.

A new preprint study led by Dr. S. Veller and a research team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (opens in a new tab) (IFAM) proposes a technical solution to one of the rare earth industry's most persistent bottlenecks: the recovery of neodymium-based permanent magnets from electric motors.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5230962 (opens in a new tab)

The study, titled “Improving the recyclability of rare earth magnets in electrical motors by using debonding-strategies (opens in a new tab)”, focuses on “debonding on demand” (DoD) adhesive technologies—methods that allow rare earth magnets to be cleanly detached from motor assemblies via external triggers like heat or electric current. This would allow for magnet reuse, reducing both environmental damage and dependence on China’s near-monopoly on rare earth refining and magnet production.

Key findings include:

• Thermal and chemical modifications to epoxy and acrylate adhesives can enable clean separation at relatively low temperatures or with minimal electrical input.
• Expandable foaming agents and specialized chemical formulations reduce shear force requirements to near zero in some test cases.
• Combined debonding and demagnetization at 400°C allows recovery of magnets with minimal damage, potentially suitable for reprocessing or reuse.

Limitations and Commercial Challenges

While the research marks real progress toward circularity in rare earths, several obstacles remain and should be noted. First results seen at the lab scale (sample-level) often degrade when applied to full-scale motor parts, particularly for embedded (buried) magnets.  Second, effective thermal debonding still demands high energy input (up to 400°C), making it cost-prohibitive unless integrated with demagnetization processes.  Third, automated debonding systems utilizing robotics or induction coils are currently in early-stage laboratory setups and are not yet ready for high-throughput industrial deployment.  And finally, not all magnet-bonding adhesives are compatible with debonding triggers, requiring material standardization across EV motor OEMs—an unlikely near-term scenario.

Despite these challenges, Fraunhofer’s research highlights a tangible pathway toward sustainable magnet recovery in the EV, wind turbine, and electronics sectors, which are expected to drive rare earth demand past 70,000 tons annually by 2030, if not later, the authors suggest.

Rare Earth Exchanges will continue to track advancements in rare earth magnet recycling, particularly those that bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and scalable industrial deployment.