Ionic Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:IXR, OTC:IXRRF) aims to produce its first recycled rare earth oxide (REO) products from a demonstration plant in Belfast, UK, by the end of the second quarter of 2023 with commissioning set to begin late next quarter.
Significant progress has been made at the newly established facility owned by its subsidiary Ionic Technologies International Ltd (IonicTech) in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, with analytical and hydrometallurgical labs now operational.
Additionally, the UK team has been expanded to accelerate work streams in order to meet the production schedule.
More than 10 tonnes of separated magnet REOs are planned to be produced from June next year in order to establish greater supply chain collaborations with downstream metal, alloy and magnet manufacturers.
Benches and fume cupboards installed across several wet hydrometallurgical labs.
Technology improvements
IonicTech has developed a rare earth element (REE) separation and refining technology to recycle and refine individual magnet rare earths from spent permanent magnets.
The latest pilot plant campaign to treat waste material from alloy manufacturing successfully processed the swarf into a number of intermediary REE products. These produced about 5 kilograms of separated high-purity rare earth oxides (REO), neodymium oxide (Nd2O3) and dysprosium oxide (Dy2O3).
Internal and external analyses of the products confirm they are consistent with separated REO products produced and sourced from existing China-based producers.
These completed pilot plant campaigns have further validated the improvements made to the technology and process since IonicRE’s acquisition of IonicTech in April this year.
The company is evaluating several opportunities to commercialise the technology into modular magnet recycling initiatives and partnerships as governments make the transition to EV and renewable energy.
High-purity separated oxides, showing neodymium (Nd2O3) (left) and dysprosium (Dy2O3) (right).
Eyeing supply chain partnerships
“The progress in Belfast has been very positive over the past 10 weeks since visiting in September," IonicRE’s managing director Tim Harrison said
To see the facility taking shape to now support the growing team, the laboratories and analytical equipment now installed and operational, and magnet REO products being produced, bodes well for further positive developments in 2023.
“We see the successful demonstration plant at Belfast as a key catalyst for the company in being able to establish meaningful supply chain partnerships in value addition beyond the magnet REOs we will produce, and the ability to deploy the technology into several opportunities we have identified to date.”