IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v207y2025ics1364032124006439.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Overcoming Catch-22 for rare earth metals in green transition: Solutions in electrical machine manufacturing

Author

Listed:
  • Popa, Dan-Cristian
  • Szabó, Loránd

Abstract

The emphasis of modern society on environmental sustainability is accompanied by a lesser-known paradox. Rare earth permanent magnet machines play an essential role in renewable energy conversion and green transportation, critical sectors of the green transition. However, the mining and processing of rare earth metals required for these machines is energy-intensive and has significant environmental impacts. As a result, the increased use of rare earth permanent magnets to mitigate ecological concerns may lead to further environmental degradation. This paper presents a comprehensive literature review addressing this Catch-22 trap by surveying the main solutions to reduce the need for newly mined and processed rare earth materials. A special focus is set on the approaches applicable in this sense in the field of electrical machines required for the sustainable development of society.

Suggested Citation

  • Popa, Dan-Cristian & Szabó, Loránd, 2025. "Overcoming Catch-22 for rare earth metals in green transition: Solutions in electrical machine manufacturing," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:207:y:2025:i:c:s1364032124006439
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2024.114917
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032124006439
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2024.114917?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Riba, Jordi-Roger & López-Torres, Carlos & Romeral, Luís & Garcia, Antoni, 2016. "Rare-earth-free propulsion motors for electric vehicles: A technology review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 367-379.
    2. Opare, Emmanuel Ohene & Struhs, Ethan & Mirkouei, Amin, 2021. "A comparative state-of-technology review and future directions for rare earth element separation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    3. René Kemp & Babette Never, 2017. "Green transition, industrial policy, and economic development," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 33(1), pages 66-84.
    4. Shahid Hussain & Ants Kallaste & Toomas Vaimann, 2023. "Recent Trends in Additive Manufacturing and Topology Optimization of Reluctance Machines," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-19, April.
    5. Chong Zhang & Ignacio Mauleón, 2023. "Assessing the Energy Efficiency Gains and Savings in China’s 2060 Carbon-Neutral Plan," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-16, September.
    6. Francesco Nicolli & Nick Johnstone & Patrik Söderholm, 2012. "Resolving failures in recycling markets: the role of technological innovation," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 14(3), pages 261-288, July.
    7. Thanh Tiep Le & X.V. Vo & V.G. Venkatesh, 2022. "Role of Green Innovation and Supply Chain Management in Driving Sustainable Corporate Performance," Post-Print hal-04452852, HAL.
    8. Brown, Rebecca M. & Mirkouei, Amin & Reed, David & Thompson, Vicki, 2023. "Current nature-based biological practices for rare earth elements extraction and recovery: Bioleaching and biosorption," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    9. Henda Zorgani Agrebi & Naourez Benhadj & Mohamed Chaieb & Farooq Sher & Roua Amami & Rafik Neji & Neil Mansfield, 2021. "Integrated Optimal Design of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator for Smart Wind Turbine Using Genetic Algorithm," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-20, July.
    10. Barter, Garrett E. & Sethuraman, Latha & Bortolotti, Pietro & Keller, Jonathan & Torrey, David A., 2023. "Beyond 15 MW: A cost of energy perspective on the next generation of drivetrain technologies for offshore wind turbines," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 344(C).
    11. de Oliveira, R.P. & Benvenuti, J. & Espinosa, D.C.R., 2021. "A review of the current progress in recycling technologies for gallium and rare earth elements from light-emitting diodes," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    12. van de Kaa, Geerten & van Ek, Martijn & Kamp, Linda M. & Rezaei, Jafar, 2020. "Wind turbine technology battles: Gearbox versus direct drive - opening up the black box of technology characteristics," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    13. Li, Chen & Mogollón, José M. & Tukker, Arnold & Dong, Jianning & von Terzi, Dominic & Zhang, Chunbo & Steubing, Bernhard, 2022. "Future material requirements for global sustainable offshore wind energy development," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    14. Divya Tiwari & Jill Miscandlon & Ashutosh Tiwari & Geraint W. Jewell, 2021. "A Review of Circular Economy Research for Electric Motors and the Role of Industry 4.0 Technologies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-19, August.
    15. Amato, A. & Becci, A. & Birloaga, I. & De Michelis, I. & Ferella, F. & Innocenzi, V. & Ippolito, N.M. & Pillar Jimenez Gomez, C. & Vegliò, F. & Beolchini, F., 2019. "Sustainability analysis of innovative technologies for the rare earth elements recovery," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 41-53.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. de Oliveira, R.P. & Benvenuti, J. & Espinosa, D.C.R., 2021. "A review of the current progress in recycling technologies for gallium and rare earth elements from light-emitting diodes," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    2. Idiano D’Adamo & Paolo Rosa, 2019. "A Structured Literature Review on Obsolete Electric Vehicles Management Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-17, December.
    3. Opare, Emmanuel Ohene & Struhs, Ethan & Mirkouei, Amin, 2021. "A comparative state-of-technology review and future directions for rare earth element separation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    4. Ran, Qiying & Yang, Xiaodong & Yan, Hongchuan & Xu, Yang & Cao, Jianhong, 2023. "Natural resource consumption and industrial green transformation: Does the digital economy matter?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    5. Diogo Ferraz & Fernanda P. S. Falguera & Enzo B. Mariano & Dominik Hartmann, 2021. "Linking Economic Complexity, Diversification, and Industrial Policy with Sustainable Development: A Structured Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-29, January.
    6. Grafström, Jonas & Poudineh, Rahmat, 2023. "No evidence of counteracting policy effects on European solar power invention and diffusion," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    7. Yang, Xiaoming & Islam, Md. Monirul & Mentel, Grzegorz & Ahmad, Ashfaq & Vasa, László, 2024. "Synergistic dynamics unveiled: Interplay between rare earth prices, clean energy innovations, and tech companies' market resilience amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine conflict," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    8. Sergiienko, N.Y. & da Silva, L.S.P. & Bachynski-Polić, E.E. & Cazzolato, B.S. & Arjomandi, M. & Ding, B., 2022. "Review of scaling laws applied to floating offshore wind turbines," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    9. Zhao, Xing & Guo, Yifan & Feng, Tianchu, 2023. "Towards green recovery: Natural resources utilization efficiency under the impact of environmental information disclosure," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    10. Kumar, Anil & Shemi, Alan & Chipise, Liberty & Moodley, Sanchia & Yah, Clarence S. & Ndlovu, Sehliselo, 2023. "Can microbial Bio-CN be a sustainable alternative to the chemical cyanidation of precious metals? An update and way forward," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    11. Fagerberg, Jan, 2018. "Mobilizing innovation for sustainability transitions: A comment on transformative innovation policy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(9), pages 1568-1576.
    12. Sijia Li & Lihua Wu, 2024. "Can regional integration promote industrial green transformation? Empirical evidence from Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 14(1), pages 117-134, March.
    13. Barbieri, Nicolò, 2015. "Investigating the impacts of technological position and European environmental regulation on green automotive patent activity," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 140-152.
    14. Bonfante, Mariele Canal & Raspini, Jéssica Prats & Fernandes, Ivan Belo & Fernandes, Suélen & Campos, Lucila M.S. & Alarcon, Orestes Estevam, 2021. "Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in rare earth magnets production: A review on state of the art and SWOT analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    15. Marco Compagnoni & Marco Grazzi & Fabio Pieri & Chiara Tomasi, 2025. "Extended Producer Responsibility and Trade Flows in Waste: The Case of Batteries," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 88(1), pages 43-76, January.
    16. Qinglan Liu & Adriana Hofmann Trevisan & Miying Yang & Janaina Mascarenhas, 2022. "A framework of digital technologies for the circular economy: Digital functions and mechanisms," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 2171-2192, July.
    17. Rao Fu & Kun Peng & Peng Wang & Honglin Zhong & Bin Chen & Pengfei Zhang & Yiyi Zhang & Dongyang Chen & Xi Liu & Kuishuang Feng & Jiashuo Li, 2023. "Tracing metal footprints via global renewable power value chains," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.
    18. Markel Fernandez & Andres Sierra-Gonzalez & Endika Robles & Iñigo Kortabarria & Edorta Ibarra & Jose Luis Martin, 2020. "New Modulation Technique to Mitigate Common Mode Voltage Effects in Star-Connected Five-Phase AC Drives," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-19, January.
    19. Kristoffer Palage & Robert Lundmark & Patrik Söderholm, 2019. "The innovation effects of renewable energy policies and their interaction: the case of solar photovoltaics," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 21(2), pages 217-254, April.
    20. Zain Anwar Ali & Mahreen Zain & M. Salman Pathan & Peter Mooney, 2024. "Contributions of artificial intelligence for circular economy transition leading toward sustainability: an explorative study in agriculture and food industries of Pakistan," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(8), pages 19131-19175, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:207:y:2025:i:c:s1364032124006439. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.