Ionic Technologies, UK CLIMATES Program, Supply Chain Innovations, Materials and Manufacturing 2025

Materials and Manufacturing 2025 talk on

A wide range of critical minerals are required for the technologies and innovation required to decarbonise the transport, energy and industrial sectors and achieve the UK’s Net Zero ambitions. An electric vehicle not only requires Cobalt, Lithium and Graphite for the battery but also Rare Earth Elements for the electric motor. These minerals and others have been identified as having high criticality for the UK in the recent Resilience for the Future: The United Kingdom’s Critical Minerals Strategy report.

The Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains programme, announced by the Department for Business and Trade, supports the UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy and aims to build and develop resilient supply chains to address this strategically important area with an initial focus on rare earth elements. Utilised in electric vehicles, consumer electronics and wind turbines, permanent magnets made from rare earth elements, are crucial in the development of Net Zero innovations.

The program will support the development of innovation in primary (mine to magnet) and secondary EOL supply chains. The program will coordinate and deliver activities within the following areas; international collaboration, skills development, investment (public and private), policy advice and standards development.

The Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains program will support collaborative research and development projects, feasibility studies and Innovation Exchange challenges with the aim of building cross sector partnerships and establishing resilient supply chains.

Ionic Rare Earths, Ionic Technologies CLIMATE PROGRAMS

• IonicRE’s magnet recycling business Ionic Technologies, has executed landmark partnership agreements with Ford Technologies Limited (Ford), Less Common Metals Limited (LCM), and British Geological Survey (BGS) to create a UK rare earth supply chain from recycled magnets;

• Ionic Technologies’ world leading recycling technology will be used to produce high purity, separated and traceable rare earths from end-of-life magnets and swarf, for supply to LCM for alloy production to be converted to NdFeB magnets for ultimate use by Ford in electric vehicle (EV) production;

• The UK government will support the Ionic Technologies, Ford and LCM
partnership via a £1 million project, with Ionic Technologies announced as the major beneficiary and lead collaborator in the focus on delivering the UK’s first domestic sourcing of separated high purity magnet rare earth oxides (REOs);

• The UK government is supporting an additional £1 million project in funding a feasibility study into the construction and supply side dynamics of a magnet rare earth recycling plant in the UK in collaboration with the British Geological Survey;

• The funding is part of the UK Government’s circular critical materials supply chains (CLIMATES) program; and

• 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 escalating supply chain appetite for circular economy magnet REOs.

Ionic Technologies partnerships awarded two new grants with combined value of £1.265m, including direct funding total £470k (approx. A$900k) to Ionic Technologies, to foster REE supply chain partnerships under next round of Innovate UK ‘CLIMATES’ program

• Funding secured for £843k groundbreaking ‘REEValuate’ Project, partnering with metals and alloys manufacturer, Less Common Metals (LCM) and magnet manufacturer, Vacuumschmelze (VAC), to produce Rare Earth alloys for permanent magnets containing 100% recycled Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREEs) and Light Rare Earth Elements (LREEs)

• VAC to provide pre-consumer NdFeB magnet scrap (swarf) to Ionic Technologies for production of high purity magnet Rare Earth Oxides (REOs) at Belfast Demonstration Plant; LCM to then reduce oxide to Rare Earth metals/alloys and supply to VAC at required specification for magnet production; initial magnet scrap volume to be processed of up to 9t

• UK Government selects Ionic Technologies-led ‘MAGNOSTIC’ collaboration to deliver advanced, demagnetisation solution for end-of-life permanent magnets, working in partnership with Materials Processing Institute (MPI) and Swansea Uni

• MAGNOSTIC Project is valued at £422k, with Ionic Technologies to directly benefit from £178k of UK Government funding, also part of Innovate UK CLIMATES funding.

The £15 million funding will launch the CLIMATES programme, delivered by Innovate UK, to develop work on rare earths by researchers and businesses across the country. This will support innovations in the recycling of rare earth elements, as well as research and development, engagement with international partners and activities to identify and support future skills needs. The program will also look to unlock further private investment.