IoniIc Technologies International has appointed WSP Global as their service partner to conduct a feasibility study on a unique magnet recycling facility in Belfast using their patented Rare Earth Element (REE) separation technology.
WSP Global is a leading global provider of consultancy, engineering, and project delivery services to the chemicals sector.
This comes after successful grants from the UK Government’s CLIMATES program (ASX: 12 September 2023).
Ionic Technologies has developed REE separation and refining technology, enabling the recycling of spent permanent magnets such as Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets to enable the creation of sustainable and traceable rare-earth supply chains.
The feasibility study forms the most significant single output of the CLIMATES project that Ionic Technologies will complete in partnership with the British Geological Survey (BGS), which will provide a comprehensive assessment of the feasibility and supply-side dynamics of a magnet recycling facility within the UK.
The study will commence this month and is expected to be completed in mid-2024.
Highlights from Ionic Rare Earth:
• The UK government is supporting the feasibility study through a £1 million grant as part of the Innovate UK circular critical materials supply chains (CLIMATES) program to evaluate the construction and supply-side dynamics of a magnet rare earth recycling plant in the UK in collaboration with the British Geological Survey (BGS).
• The plant will be in Belfast, UK, where it has access to excellent infrastructure and positive policy support through the Windsor Framework, which provides dual market access across the UK and EU.
• The move is an important step towards sovereignty for the UK in developing market-leading technology and building a supportive pathway for Ionic Technologies to commercialise the first magnet recycling facility in Belfast to feed the escalating supply chain appetite for circular economy magnets and rare earth oxides (REOs).
• Ionic Technologies’ Belfast magnet recycling facility has the potential to be a significant contributor to the benchmark target set out within the EU Critical Raw Materials Act 2023, which is 25% magnet rare earth annual consumption from recycling by 2030.
Ionic Rare Earth’s Managing Director, Tim Harrison, commented:
“Ionic Rare Earths’ focus is on securing critical elements for the supply chain in the new economy. We are harnessing our technology to accelerate mining, refining, and recycling of magnets and heavy rare earths critical for energy transition, advanced manufacturing, and defence.
“The confirmation of WSP as the service provider tasked with delivering the feasibility study into a first-of-kind commercial magnet recycling facility in Belfast, utilising our patented technology, represents a significant step towards the construction of a commercial-scale magnet recycling facility and, in doing so, establishes a domestic supply chain of secondary rare earth oxides (REOs) for the UK,” he said.
“We will be working in partnership with WSP on the feasibility study, using our patented processes and knowledge gained through the operation of our demonstration plant, and we expect to have a cost-effective solution by mid-2024.
“We are pleased that we have achieved this key milestone of selecting a suitable partner as part of the CLIMATES program, in collaboration with the British Geological Survey, which will deliver on not only this feasibility study but also the supply-side dynamics of a magnet recycling facility within the UK.
“The decision to select WSP as the service partner on this landmark study was made because of WSP’s prominence, experience, and reputation in the chemical industry, as well as their demonstrable capability to deliver a study that is closely aligned to our overall project objectives.
“WSP is a world-leading engineering professional services business and has technical expertise in engineering, science, architecture, planning, surveying, and environmental management, all of which will represent key deliverables for this project, which will be served by their UK-based Process Engineering Centre for Excellence.” "Source: Mining Review Africa"
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