Heraeus has launched production at Europe’s largest recycling plant for rare earth magnets, located in Bitterfeld, Germany.
The facility has an initial processing capacity of 600 tons per year, which can be expanded to 1,200 tons in the medium term. The plant’s output, nanocrystalline rare earth magnetic powders, is derived from recycled end-of-life electronic devices. These powders can be used to manufacture bonded NdFeB magnets, hot-formed NdFeB magnets, and rare earth hydrogen storage components.
The recycling technology employed by Heraeus Remloy, a division of Heraeus, reduces CO2 emissions by 80 percent compared to primary extraction and manufacturing methods. This technology not only ensures the long-term availability of neodymium-iron-boron magnets but also establishes a sustainable circular economy. The recycling of used magnets could potentially cover more than 30 percent of the European demand for new magnets in the future.
Rare earth elements, which constitute almost half of all used today for permanent magnets, are integral to a wide range of applications. These include high-performance electric vehicle traction motors, wind turbine generators, factory automation, robotics, air-conditioning, data storage, and sensors. The demand for NdFeB magnets is projected to double by 2030 and triple by 2040 due to electrification and climate transformation. However, the supply of rare earth materials is limited and heavily influenced by the global geopolitical situation.
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