Highlights

• Rice University's flash joule heating (FJH) recovers over 90% of rare earth elements from magnets using electric bursts at 2,000°C.
• FJH technology slashes energy use by 87% and costs by 54% compared to conventional acid-based recycling.
• The technology has been licensed to Metallium and Flash Metals USA.
• FJH targets commercial-scale extraction of rare earth elements, cobalt, lithium, and gold from waste streams within six months.
• Additional refining steps are needed to produce magnet-ready metals from FJH.
• Questions remain about regulatory hurdles, chlorine safety, and full lifecycle costs at industrial scale for FJH.

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Rice University scientists as reported in September by Rare Earth Exchanges (REEx), may have found the rare earth industry’s equivalent of lightning in a bottle. Their new flash joule heating (FJH**)** method recovers more than 90% of rare earth elements (REEs) from magnets in a single, low-energy step. Published in PNAS (September 2025), the study shows that zapping ground magnet powder with short bursts of electricity—over 2,000 °C in seconds—can free REEs such as neodymium (Nd) and samarium (Sm) for easy recovery.

This technique, developed by James Tour’s lab, (opens in a new tab) slashes energy use by 87% and operating costs by 54% compared with conventional acid-based recycling. The process requires no vats of solvents or hazardous waste—just electricity and a controlled chlorine environment. Tour’s description is fittingly cinematic: “Grind it, flash it, and boom—you get the rare earths.”

Chemistry Meets Commercialization

The Rice team’s “electric alchemy” goes beyond theory. The technology has already been licensed to Metallium (Australia) (opens in a new tab) and its U.S. affiliate Flash Metals USA (opens in a new tab), which plans to scale up FJH for extracting REEs, cobalt, lithium, and gold from waste streams within six months. If successful, it could mark one of the fastest lab-to-market transitions in the rare earth recycling space.

Still, questions linger. The process currently yields REE oxychlorides with 90–94% purity—good but not magnet-ready. Additional refining steps are needed to produce metal suitable for NdFeB magnets. And while the method’s simplicity is attractive, comparative lifecycle data on energy, water, and waste are not yet published.

Between Spark and Scale

From a supply chain perspective, the implications are powerful. FJH could cut dependence on Chinese refiners by reclaiming valuable REEs from retired motors, electronics, and wind turbines. Yet scaling from bench reactor to industrial throughput remains the test. Investors should see this as proof of scientific ingenuity, not yet industrial maturity.

The C&EN feature by Prachi Patel captures the excitement well but tilts toward optimism—understandably so, given the credibility of Tour’s group. What’s missing is the discussion of regulatory hurdles, chlorine-handling safety, and cost dynamics once purification is factored in.

The Takeaway

Rice University’s flash recycling breakthrough offers a glimpse of a cleaner REE future—one powered by physics rather than acids. If Metallium delivers on Tour’s six-month promise, this could redefine magnet recycling economics and nudge the U.S. closer to real rare earth circularity. Until then, it’s a flash worth watching.

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