Highlights

• UK's first rare earth magnet recycling facility in 25 years opens at Tyseley Energy Park in Birmingham.
• The facility uses hydrogen-based HPMS technology to recover over 400 kg of alloy per batch.
• The plant can produce up to 300 tonnes of recycled magnets annually.
• HyProMag plant strengthens supply-chain resilience by recycling NdFeB magnets used in EVs, wind turbines, and electronics.
• Reduces UK dependence on imported critical minerals while significantly lowering carbon emissions.
• Supports the UK government's Vision 2035 Critical Minerals Strategy.
• Enables domestic recovery of rare earth materials through circular, sustainable production methods.

A rare earth magnet recycling and manufacturing facility has opened in Birmingham, UK, at Tyseley Energy Park — the first such plant in the country in 25 years. The project is led by HyProMag Ltd (opens in a new tab), a company commercializing hydrogen‑based recycling technology developed with the University of Birmingham and now owned by Maginito (opens in a new tab), a subsidiary of Mkango Resources Ltd (opens in a new tab). and CoTec Holdings (opens in a new tab). The plant uses Hydrogen Processing of Magnet Scrap (opens in a new tab) (HPMS) to break down old magnets into reusable rare earth alloy without fully disassembling devices. This process can recover over 400 kg of rare earth alloy per batch and produce up to 100–300 tonnes of recycled sintered magnets per year, depending on operating shifts.

Rare earth magnets — especially NdFeB types — are vital components in electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics, electronics, and defence systems. Recycling them helps the UK reduce dependence on imported critical minerals and aligns with the government’s Vision 2035: Critical Minerals Strategy, which targets meeting part of the country’s critical mineral needs from domestic and recycled sources.

Using recycled magnets instead of newly mined rare earths also significantly lowers carbon emissions and environmental impact.

While this doesn’t replace the need for mining or full downstream processing, it strengthens supply‑chain resilience and helps shift toward more circular, sustainable production.