The Remloy facility in Bitterfeld is intended to complement the existing stages of the value chain.
Canadian rare earths company Mkango Resources is continuing to build out an integrated value chain for critical raw materials. Its portfolio includes the Songwe Hill mining project in Malawi and a planned processing facility in Puławy. Through subsidiaries and strategic investments, Mkango is also active in rare-earth recycling operations across Europe and North America. The company is now expanding the recycling segment further. Mkango has signed an agreement with the German technology group Heraeus to acquire its recycling business for approximately €8 million.
Through its Remloy division in Bitterfeld, Heraeus recycles end-of-life neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets. The facility uses a so-called “medium-loop” recycling process — a melting technology that converts scrap magnets into reusable alloys for producing new magnets. This process is expected to complement Mkango’s existing recycling technologies, particularly those operated by its subsidiary Hypromag in Pforzheim. The broader objective is to cover multiple stages of the magnet recycling and recovery chain.
Remloy’s facility currently has an annual processing capacity of around 500 tonnes of NdFeB alloy. Following initial pilot production runs, commercial sales are expected to begin later this year. According to the company, Remloy also holds inventories exceeding 300 tonnes of magnets, alloys, and related raw materials, which should support further operational expansion and near-term production ramp-up.
Photo: iStock/WhiteBarbie
