The University of Birmingham has inaugurated the UK’s first commercial rare earth magnet recycling facility, located at Tyseley Energy Park in the West Midlands. This groundbreaking plant promises to reduce the nation’s reliance on imported rare earth metals and magnets, critical materials that are foundational to modern technologies such as wind turbines, electric vehicles, robotics, medical devices, and electronics.
Rare earth magnets fall within a category of critical minerals essential to the UK’s low-carbon transition and industrial strategy. As demand for clean energy and advanced technologies grows, securing sustainable and domestic sources of these minerals becomes increasingly important.
The new recycling plant employs an innovative hydrogen-based process known as Hydrogen Processing of Magnet Scrap (HPMS), developed by University of Birmingham researchers. This cutting-edge technology efficiently extracts rare earth magnets from end-of-life products without full disassembly, enabling repurposing of materials with significantly lower environmental impact and cost than traditional mining and production methods.
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Having scaled operations from a proof-of-concept capacity handling 50-100kg batches to commercial levels reclaiming over 400kg per batch, the facility can now produce up to 100 tonnes of sintered magnets annually on a single shift, with capacity for over 300 tonnes on multiple shifts. This development marks the return of sintered rare earth magnet manufacturing to the UK for the first time in 25 years.
Recycling sources include hard drives, electric motors, turbines, robotic actuators, pumps, filters, and various electronic devices. This process reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 90% compared to creating magnets from raw minerals.
The plant aligns with the UK Government’s ‘Vision 2035: Critical Minerals Strategy’, supporting the goal to enhance supply chain resilience and develop green industry capacity. It also serves as a foundation for future, larger-scale facilities at the same Tyseley site.
Industry and government leaders have praised the facility’s potential to create hundreds of local jobs and establish the UK as a leader in rare earth recycling and magnet manufacturing. The project benefits from a £4.5 million fund by Innovate UK’s Driving Electric Industrialisation Centres initiative, along with support from the EPSRC, Advanced Propulsion Centre, and Horizon Europe grants—furthering the drive towards a net-zero carbon economy.
Professor Rachel O’Reilly MBE FRS, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Birmingham, highlighted the role of university-led innovation in advancing circular supply chains for critical minerals, supporting national resilience and sustainability priorities.
The facility’s recycling technology has been licensed exclusively to Hypromag Ltd, now owned by Maginito Ltd, part of Mkango Resources. CEO William Dawes emphasized the transformative impact of bringing magnet manufacturing back to the UK, underpinned by cost-effective, low-carbon homegrown technology.
The Birmingham Centre for Strategic Elements and Critical Materials (BCSECM) continues to lead research addressing the growing industrial demand and supply challenges for technology-critical metals, emphasizing the Midlands’ vital role in the UK’s critical materials supply chain.
Jaguar Land Rover’s Battery Services Lead David Watkin also underscored the importance of rare earth recycling for electric vehicle supply chains, promoting sustainability through circular material use.
This facility not only advances the UK’s green industrial ambitions but also demonstrates how innovative recycling can underpin future competitiveness, job creation, and environmental responsibility.