The Canadian companies want to strengthen domestic supply chains by integrating recycled raw materials.
Canadian rare earth recycler Cyclic Materials plans to provide raw materials to Ucore Rare Metals, a company specialising in the development of North American supply chains for rare earths. Ucore announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for the supply of recycled mixed rare earth oxide.
Initially, trial quantities will be delivered to Ucore’s demonstration plant in Kingston, Canada, where a self-developed method for separating rare earth elements is being tested. Cyclic’s demonstration plant is located in the immediate neighbourhood. The long-term goal is to integrate the recycled raw materials into future domestic value chains. Based on its pilot plant, Ucore is building a facility for the separation of rare earths in the US state of Louisiana and is developing the Bokan Mountain deposit in Alaska, which also contains the coveted heavy rare earths such as dysprosium. The company’s projects are supported in part by the Canadian and US governments.
The mining and processing of rare earths, which are required for numerous green and digital technologies, is currently mainly carried out in China. In view of rising geopolitical tensions, Western powers have been endeavouring to reduce their dependence on imports for some years now. In addition to domestic mining and the establishment of processing capacities, recycling is playing an increasingly important role. Recent collaborations with well-known European players along the value chain, such as Vacuumschmelze and Solvay, show just how much demand there is for Cyclic’s products.
Photo: TRADIUM GmbH
