Dysprosium (Dy) oxide produced by US-based critical raw materials supplier Energy Fuels has passed initial purity and quality assurance and quality control benchmarks at an unnamed South Korean automotive manufacturer for rare earth permanent magnet production.

Energy Fuels produced the first kilogram of Dy oxide at its White Mesa Mill in Utah in August 2025, and output has so far totaled approximately 29 kg at pilot scale. The facility achieves purities of 99.9%, exceeding the automotive specification of 99.5% purity.

Dy oxide is a key additive in neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) that improves durability and magnetic performance in permanent magnets used in motors to power EVs, hybrid vehicles, robotics and other automotive and commercial applications.

The company previously announced that its neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) oxide has also been qualified for use in NdFeB magnets.

Energy Fuels has started piloting terbium (Tb) oxide production at the facility and expects to have kilogram-scale samples available for qualification in early 2026. Tb oxide is also used in permanent magnets that can withstand high operating temperatures in EVs and defense systems.

Following the Tb oxide pilot, the company plans to begin piloting gadolinium (Gd) and then samarium (Sm) oxide production. It is proceeding with plans to build the infrastructure needed to produce Dy, Tb, and potentially Sm oxides at commercial scale at the White Mesa Mill. This would give it annual capacity to produce up to 48 metric tons (tonnes) of Dy oxide and 14 tonnes of Tb oxide, subject to available feed.

“Production of dysprosium oxide that meets stringent magnet specifications is another key milestone in the company’s critical materials strategy, demonstrating Energy Fuels’ unique and rapidly expanding capabilities in the rare earth sector, and in particular our ability to produce high-purity separated ‘heavy’ rare earth oxides from monazite at our White Mesa Mill in Utah,” said Mark S. Chalmers, CEO of Energy Fuels.

Source: Energy Fuels