Belfast plant targeted to produce ten tons of oxides annually from recycled rare earth magnets.
Australian mining company Ionic Rare Earths’ Belfast-based subsidiary Ionic Technologies has commenced full-scale rare earth oxide production in its demonstration magnet recycling plant. According to the company, the facility produced 11.5 kilograms of 99.8 percent grade of Didymium Oxide, a mixture of neodymium and praseodymium, and targets a final annual manufacturing capacity of ten tons by gradually ramping up production. The rare earth magnets used as feedstock in the plant were sourced from a decommissioned wind turbine. Ionic expects the facility to receive a steady supply of magnets from end-of-life turbines from wind farms and magnets and components from used electric vehicles (EVs) and other industries.
The Belfast plant is a collaboration between Ionic and alloy producer Less Common Metals Ltd (LCM), together with automotive manufacturer Ford Technologies Limited (Ford). The plant has received government funding from the United Kingdom, which hopes to make itself less dependent on imports of critical minerals by building domestic supply chains.
Photo: TRADIUM GmbH
