Image: HyProMagThe recycling process was developed and patented by the Magnetic Materials Group at the University of Birmingham and commercialised by its spin-off, HyProMag, which was acquired by the Canadian exploration company Mkango Resources in 2023. Following the opening of a similar recycling plant in Birmingham in January, the next milestone has now been reached in Pforzheim.The Pforzheim site is led by Prof. Carlo Burkhardt of Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences, who holds a 20 per cent stake, while Mkango owns the remaining 80 per cent. Burkhardt was previously involved in the EU-funded recycling projects SusMagPro and REEsilience.The Pforzheim plant uses HPMS technology (Hydrogen Processing of Magnetic Scrap), developed at the University of Birmingham. This process enables sintered neodymium-iron-boron magnets to disintegrate into a loose, demagnetised, hydrogenated powder when exposed to hydrogen. Coatings, adhesives, screws and other residues are mechanically separated from the magnetic powder. The process is designed to achieve a particularly high yield in the recovery of neodymium-iron-boron magnets.Such magnets are required for applications including smartphones, speakers, wind turbines and, most notably, electric vehicles. They are used in the electric motors of EVs, specifically in permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSM), where the permanent magnets are located in the rotor. Recycling neodymium-iron-boron magnets helps reduce Europe’s dependence on supplies from China.The Pforzheim plant is initially expected to have a minimum capacity of approximately 100 tonnes of neodymium-iron-boron magnets per year, with plans to increase this to around 350 tonnes annually. A further expansion to 750 tonnes per year is currently under review, and the company already holds the necessary permit. HyProMag aims to gradually ramp up production to this level within the next three years.mkango.ca