Dalarna – a historic mining region of Sweden

Summer school on Rare Earth magnet value chain in Ludvika.

Just before the Midsommer celebration, a 4-day Swedish Summer School on Rare Earth magnet value chain was organized in Ludvika, Västerbergslagen, Dalarna, the Sweden’s historical mining region.  

The school was hosted by Samarkand2015 AB, a company that supports an innovative, sustainable and attractive Västerbergslagen. https://samarkand2015.com/en/home/

Figure 1 Blötberg mine close to Ludvika, that has already become history. Photo by Martin Wik, is taken from https://static.bonniernews.se/ba/7335f1b8-40b2-4321-a556-972231320343.jpeg?width=1400&format=pjpg&auto=avif

A little bit of history: Mining has been carried out in Blötberg since around the16th century. The main product of the mine, iron ore (magnetite) was transported to Ludvika Kronobruk (ironwork) for further processing and bar iron production. This went on for many, many years, until the1920s, when the mill at Ludvika Kronobruk ceased operation. In the late 1980th all mining activities in the region were halted following an economic assessment conducted at the time.  

Ludvika is a nice urban town located at lake Västman.  

Figure 2 Ludvika’s Kommunhuset (Municipal Hall).
Figure 3 All children, including baby seals, love playing with water.
Figure 4 A wonderful summer day.
Figure 5 Ludvika’s Dala Häst (Dalarna horse) is colored blue.
Figure 6 Installation from Hitachi Energy, Ludvika’s largest employer.

The present time: After many years of iron ore mining operation at Blötberg, the waste collected in tailings ponds remains in the area. During the years passed, the tailings ponds became part of the landscape. 

Figure 7 Tailings ponds at Blötberg
Figure 8 Only rare tourists/students/curious people may disturb the peace of nature.

Nowadays, there are plans to resume mining activities in the area. Nordic Iron AB, a mining development company, took initiative to re-start iron mining operation in Västerbergslagen, primarily in the area around Ludvika. Recent geological exploration data obtained by Nordic Iron AB, show that the new deposit in Blötberg contains a high proportion of magnetite, which makes it possible to obtain high-quality concentrate using solely magnetic separation. Interview with Ronne Hamerslag, CEO of Nordic Iron AB can be found via the following link:  https://analystgroup.se/textintervju/intervju-med-nordic-irons-vd-ronne-hamerslag/

Summer School in Ludvika.

Day 1, 15 June 2026
The day started with a lecture about history of the discovery of rare earth elements and the role of Sweden in this process.

Figure 9 Two minerals, Bastnäsite and Ytterbite, found in Sweden, contained 16 of the 17 Rare Earth elements.

Thereafter, we listened to a presentation about the mining and exploration activities taking place in the region, and then went on guided tour to Nordic Iron AB facilities.

Figure 10 Nordic Iron – responsible mining.
Figure 11 Drill core with apatite mineral containing rare earth elements.

In the second part of Day 1, the lectures providing an introduction to magnetism and the physical and chemical properties of REEs were given by the teachers from KTH, Royal Institute of technology and SLU, Swedish Institute of agricultural Science.

Figure 12 Outline of the lecture on the properties of REEs.
Figure 13 Hysteresis loop is a key characterization parameter of permanent magnets.

Day 2, 16 June 2026
The second day was entirely devoted to traditional and advanced technologies for the production of permanent magnets. The lectures were given by researchers from KTH, SpinnX AB and TU Darmstadt.

Figure 14 The outline of the lectures on traditional technologies for magnet production
Figure 15 Additive manufacturing of permanent magnets, challenges and opportunities.

Day 3, 17 June 2026
On the third day of the event, the students were learning about principles of electrical machine operations and design.

Figure 16 A teacher from KTH gives lectures on electrical motors. A little physics will not hurt.

Day 4, 18 June 2026
On the fourth day of the event, lectures on Module 4: Recycling of end-of-life magnets and extraction of REEs and other critical elements, and on Module 5: Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Impacts of magnet production, were presented by MONOLITHOS Team in collaboration with ICAMCyL.  

Figure 17 Recycling of end-of-life products is critical to the magnet supply chain.
Figure 18 LCA is a powerful tool for evaluating the environmental impact of the magnet industry.
And as a perfect capstone, the Summer School participants were interviewed by the reporter from the local newspaper, Nya Ludvika Tidning.
Figure 19 The article about the school event was published in Nya Ludvika Tidning. The full text can be found via the following link: https://www.nyaludvikatidning.se/forskare-spar-stora-mojligheter-i-vasterbergslagen-har-tidigare-forbisetts/