Geomechanics.io

  • Free Tools
Sign UpLog In
Built byBoxcut Studio

Geomechanics.io

Geomechanics, Streamlined.

© 2026 Geomechanics.io. All rights reserved.

Geomechanics.io

CMRR-ioGEODB-ioHYDROGEO-ioQCDB-ioFree Tools & CalculatorsBlogLatest Industry News

Industries

MiningConstructionTunnelling

Company

Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyLinkedIn
    Projects
    Product
    Sustainability

    Ionic recycled rare earth EV motor magnets: supply chain lessons for engineers

    May 12, 2026|

    Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

    Ionic recycled rare earth EV motor magnets: supply chain lessons for engineers

    First reported on MINING.com

    30 Second Briefing

    Ionic Rare Earths has led a UK–European collaboration with Less Common Metals, GKN and Ford UK to complete what it calls the Western world’s first end-to-end recycled rare earth supply chain for EV motor magnets, using “made-in-Belfast” long-loop recycling technology. Recycled neodymium, dysprosium and terbium oxides at >99.5% purity were converted by LCM into strip alloy, then into GKN magnets that passed Ford Dunton rotor durability tests with performance equivalent to production magnets. The Belfast commercial recycling plant will feed LCM alloy production for Ford’s UK EV facilities, directly supporting the UK Critical Minerals Strategy target of sourcing 20% of mineral needs from recycling by 2035.

    Technical Brief

    • Ionic’s Belfast facility is being developed as a commercial-scale rare earth magnet recycling plant for EV supply.
    • Feedstock includes end-of-life magnets and secondary scrap from within existing magnet manufacturing supply chains.
    • Ionic’s proprietary hydrometallurgical process yields individually separated Nd, Dy and Tb oxides at >99.5% purity.
    • Less Common Metals converts these recycled oxides into rare earth metal and strip alloy to magnet specification.
    • GKN fabricates magnets from LCM strip alloy to Ford’s dimensional and performance specifications for traction motors.
    • Ford’s Dunton R&D centre subjects rotors with recycled-magnet assemblies to full durability test cycles for validation.
    • The project is one of 36 circular rare earth initiatives funded under the UK government’s CLIMATES programme.
    • UK Critical Minerals Strategy targets by 2035 are 10% domestic mineral production and 20% from recycling, up from 6% domestic today.

    Our Take

    Less Common Metals’ role in both this Ionic-led UK recycling chain and USA Rare Earth’s yttrium and CHIPS-backed projects positions the Cheshire–Belfast corridor as one of the few Western rare earth processing clusters with multi-customer, multi-commodity capability.

    The UK’s 20% recycling target for critical minerals by 2035 implicitly favours processes like Ionic Technologies’ Belfast-based plant that can deliver >99.5% purity oxides, as these grades are already aligned with magnet-makers’ specifications and reduce the need for additional refining steps.

    Geotechnical Software for Modern Teams

    Centralise site data, logs, and lab results with GEODB-io, CMRR-io, and HYDROGEO-io.

    No credit card required.

    • Save and export unlimited calculations
    • Advanced data visualisation
    • Generate professional PDF reports
    • Cloud storage for all your projects

    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

    Related Articles

    Paladin rare earth recycling expansion: supply-chain takeaways for engineers
    Materials
    3 days ago

    Paladin rare earth recycling expansion: supply-chain takeaways for engineers

    Rare earth recycler Paladin EnviroTech is investing over US$5 million to expand its Ohio recovery facility from 40 to 150 tonnes per year by Q3 next year, targeting end-of-life hard drives, EV motors, generators, MRI machines and wind turbines containing neodymium, praseodymium, terbium and dysprosium (up to ~16% Dy in MRI magnets). Working with Western Digital and Critical Materials Recycling, Paladin uses a non-acidic selective leaching process achieving 97–98% rare earth recovery and about 90% total value recovery, feeding mixed rare earth oxides back into Western magnet supply chains.

    Breedon’s new CEO from 2027: strategic implications for materials project teams
    Materials
    8 days ago

    Breedon’s new CEO from 2027: strategic implications for materials project teams

    Breedon has appointed current chief financial officer James Brotherton as its next CEO from 1 January 2027, succeeding Rob Wood after a 12-year tenure with the construction materials group. Brotherton has been CFO since 2021 and co-developed Breedon’s “expand and improve” strategy, which underpinned its expansion into the US market and transfer to the London Stock Exchange’s main market. Wood, who became CEO in 2021, will step down from the board at end-2026 but remain an employee to support the leadership transition until September 2027.

    Chryso–Ecocem low‑carbon cement system: mix design notes for concrete engineers
    Materials
    8 days ago

    Chryso–Ecocem low‑carbon cement system: mix design notes for concrete engineers

    Saint-Gobain’s Chryso and Ecocem have launched a combined low‑carbon system pairing Ecocem ACT cement, which cuts cement emissions by up to 70%, with Chryso’s new superplasticiser EnviroMix 3150 ACT, formulated for this binder chemistry. The admixture–cement combination enables concrete mix designs achieving over 50% carbon footprint reduction, meeting GWR5 and above, while maintaining high flowability, low viscosity at low water–cement ratios, and workability retention beyond 90 minutes without segregation. On the former John Lewis HQ refurbishment in London, around 1,300 m³ of C20/25 and C30/37 ACT concrete is being pumped using EnviroMix 3150 ACT to validate performance under site conditions.

    Related Industries & Products

    Mining

    Geotechnical software solutions for mining operations including CMRR analysis, hydrogeological testing, and data management.

    Construction

    Quality control software for construction companies with material testing, batch tracking, and compliance management.

    QCDB-io

    Comprehensive quality control database for manufacturing, tunnelling, and civil construction with UCS testing, PSD analysis, and grout mix design management.

    AllGeotechnicalInfrastructureHazardsEnvironmental