Paving the way for a circular economy for Rare Earth Magnets

REEsilience partners Inserma and Mkango subsidiaries, HyProMag Ltd and HyProMag GmbH, are advancing innovative methods to recover rare earth materials from end-of-life products, reducing the need for virgin Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and minimising environmental impact: To this goal, they have now entered into an agreement to commercialise automated pre-processing of hard disk drives, loudspeakers and electric motors, aiming to deploy this technology globally and create a secure, sustainable supply of REEs.

Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are essential components in many modern technologies, particularly those associated with the green energy revolution. As Europe undergoes an ambitious energy transition, the need for a secure and reliable supply of REEs has become increasingly apparent. The EU project REEsilience seeks to address this need by developing a sustainable and resilient supply chain for rare earth magnets, which are indispensable for renewable energy technologies and electric vehicles. One cornerstone of the REEsilience project is the development of recycling and circular economy strategies.

By promoting the recovery and reuse of rare earth materials from end-of-life products, such as wind turbines and electric vehicles, the project aims to reduce the overall demand for virgin REEs. This approach not only helps to conserve valuable resources but also reduces the environmental footprint of rare earth production. In this context, project partners Inserma, HyProMag Ltd (UK), HyProMag GmbH (Germany) and Mkango play a vital role.

Building on the foundation laid by previous EU projects, particularly the Horizon 2020 project SUSMAGPRO, Inserma brings its extensive expertise in automation and plant development within the recycling sector to support the establishment of fully automated production lines in the REEsilience project. Spin-offs from SUSMAGPRO, HyProMag Ltd and HyProMag GmbH – of which Mkango subsidiary Maginito holds a 100% and an 80 % interest respectively – are scaling up and commercialising the short-loop recycling process based on the patented Hydrogen Processing of Magnet Scrap, developed by the Magnetic Materials Group (MMG) at the University of Birmingham. Further advancing the circular economy for Rare Earth Magnets, Maginito has now secured an exclusive agreement with Inserma to commercialise automated pre-processing of hard disc drives (HDDs), loudspeakers and electric motors for HyProMag Ltd, HyProMag GmbH and HyProMag USA.

The latest mobile Inserma unit, designed specifically for pre-processing HDDs, offers a highly flexible solution that can be co-located at hyperscale data centres, recycling centres, shredding- or HyProMag facilities. The system rapidly extracts the Voice Coil Motor (VCM) containing rare earth magnets from HDDs, providing an efficient and sustainable feed for HyProMag’s Hydrogen Processing of Magnet Scrap (HPMS). This game-changing technology addresses key challenges in recycling, delivering enhanced economic and environmental benefits.

Key benefits of the Inserma pre-processing technology include:

• Rapid VCM Removal: The automated system can remove the VCM containing the rare earth magnet in under 3 seconds per HDD.
• On-site Secure Data Destruction: The remainder of the HDD can be securely destroyed on-site, ensuring data protection.
• Cost and Carbon Footprint Reduction: The removal of the rare earth magnet significantly reduces the costs and carbon emissions of subsequent shredding processes.
• Enhanced Shredding Efficiency: Simultaneous removal of the centre spindle reduces blade breakage during shredding, leading to lower operational costs and a minimized carbon footprint.
• No Heat Treatment or Dismantling Required: The technology streamlines magnet recovery without the need for additional treatments.
• Support for HyProMag’s Short Loop Recycling Process: The system is optimized to provide a steady feed for HyProMag’s rare earth magnet recycling process, which minimizes environmental impact.

In addition to HDD processing, Inserma’s solution is being adapted to automate the removal of Printed Circuit Board Assemblies (PCBAs), further enhancing its role in sustainable e-waste management. The technology is scalable, with the ultimate goal of deploying hundreds of pre-processing units worldwide, targeting a wide range of end-of-life applications including HDDs, loudspeakers, and electric motors.

Francisco Ortiz, Technical Director of Inserma commented: “We have a longstanding working relationship with HyProMag, University of Birmingham and University of Pforzheim, together with other key partners such as RISE, so we are very pleased to extend our ongoing R&D partnerships into a commercially focused collaboration. This provides a fantastic platform for Inserma to expand its reach internationally, leveraging off the network of relationships which HyProMag, Mkango and CoTec bring to the table, whilst capitalising on the many synergies between our businesses.”

William Dawes, Chief Executive of Mkango commented: “We are very excited to be working with Inserma on the commercialisation of its groundbreaking suit of technologies, which are highly complementary to HyProMag’s HPMS technology. We aim to provide a win-win circular solution to customers for recovery of rare earth magnets from a range of applications, lowering the carbon footprint, cost and generating additional benefits from hitherto unrealized value streams.”

Prof. Dr. Carlo Burkhardt, Coordinator of REEsilience commented: “It is always great to see that the cooperation of companies and academics in the framework of the HORIZON projects is an excellent way to create innovative partnerships that come to new, unique and competitive solutions, which strengthen our market and create real added value. As a coordinator of REEsilience, I am obviously very proud that HyProMag and Inserma found a way to make magnet recycling more efficient and sustainable ”.

Steinbeis Europa Zentrum is leading exploitation, dissemination and communication activities

As a project partner in SUSMAGPRO and REEsilience, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum supports the partners in developing their exploitation strategies, including support for clarification of intellectual property rights. Together with the Enterprise Europe Network and the Commissioner for Europe of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum is helping HyProMag GmbH, Pforzheim to network more strongly in Europe and to acquire further funding for the growth of the start-up. In addition, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum manages communication in the projects and supports the project partners in dissemination activities and networking with relevant initiatives and projects.

About REEsilience
REEsilience is funded by the European Union’s research and innovation programme Horizon Europe (GA No. 101058598) and coordinated by the Institute for Precious Metals and Technology (STI) of Pforzheim University, Germany and will last until June 2026. The consortium comprises 18 project partners from ten European countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom).

About Inserma
Inserma is a European leader in e-waste pre-processing technologies, specialising in automated systems for efficient and sustainable processing of hard disc drives, loudspeakers, and electric motors.

About Maginito Ltd.
Maginito Ltd. is a developer of rare earth magnet recycling technologies. Its mission is to revolutionise the production and recycling of rare earth magnets through innovative processes and strategic partnerships. Maginito is a subsidiary of Mkango Resources Ltd., focused on sustainable development of rare earths.

About HyProMag Ltd.
HyProMag Ltd. is a subsidiary of Maginito Ltd., focused on the recovery and recycling of rare earth magnets from end-of-life devices, and is commissioning a plant to commercialise its proprietary Hydrogen Processing of Magnet Scrap (HPMS) technology in the UK.

About HyProMag GmbH
HyProMag GmbH is an 80%-owned subsidiary of HyProMag Ltd in Germany, rolling out commercialisation of HPMS technology into Germany and Europe. It is 20% owned by Professor Carlo Burkhardt of Pforzheim University, co-ordinator of the SUSMAGPRO and REEsilience EU funded recycling projects.

About Mkango Resources Ltd.
Mkango is listed on the AIM and the TSX-V. Mkango’s corporate strategy is to become a market leader in the production of recycled rare earth magnets, alloys and oxides, through its interest in Maginito, which is owned 79.4 per cent by Mkango and 20.6 per cent by CoTec, and to develop new sustainable sources of neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium to supply accelerating demand from electric vehicles, wind turbines and other clean energy technologies.

Contact:
Maeva Pratlong, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum

REESILIENCE COORDINATION
Prof. Carlo Burkhardt
Institute for Precious Metals and Technology
Pforzheim University
carlo.burkhardt@hs-pforzheim.de

MKANGO RESOURCES LTD
William Dawes
Mkango Resources
London / Vancouver
will@mkango.ca

INSERMA ANOIA S.L.
Francisco Ortiz
Inserma Anoia
La Pobla de Claramunt
paco@inserma.com

Wissenschaftliche Ansprechpartner:

Prof. Carlo Burkhardt
Institute for Precious Metals and Technology
Pforzheim University
carlo.burkhardt@hs-pforzheim.de

Weitere Informationen:

https://reesilience.eu/ – Website REEsilience
https://www.susmagpro.eu/ – Website SUSMAGPRO

https://www.steinbeis-europa.de