USA Rare Earth produces commercial-grade rare earth oxides from recycled magnet scrap

USA Rare Earth has produced commercial-grade dysprosium (Dy) oxide and neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) oxide samples from recycled rare earth magnet scrap at its Wheat Ridge, Colorado hydrometallurgical facility, marking a step forward in its rare earth processing operations.

The company said the achievement makes it one of the few producers outside Asia capable of separating heavy rare earth elements at commercial grade. It also supports the development of an integrated rare earth supply chain serving industries including defence, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing.

The Dy and NdPr oxide samples were produced from magnet swarf, the fine scrap generated during the machining and finishing of neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets. The recycled material was sourced from the company's magnet manufacturing facility in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

According to USA Rare Earth, using recycled swarf expands its feedstock options and strengthens the circularity of its operations. The company estimates that magnet swarf could supply up to 30 per cent of its future magnetic rare earth oxide feedstock requirements. The recycling process could also support the future use of end-of-life magnets as an additional commercial feedstock.

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The oxides produced at Wheat Ridge will be sent to Less Common Metals (LCM), the company's UK subsidiary, for qualification before being converted into rare earth metals and strip-cast products. These materials are expected to serve as feedstock for USA Rare Earth's magnet manufacturing operations in the United States.

The company noted that dysprosium is one of the most difficult rare earth elements to separate at commercial purity and that the majority of global Dy oxide production currently takes place in China. While NdPr forms the basis of permanent NdFeB magnets, dysprosium is added to help magnets maintain performance at high temperatures, making it important for applications in aerospace, defence, electric vehicles, robotics and industrial motors.

USA Rare Earth said the milestone also establishes a recycling pathway that links its magnet manufacturing business with its upstream rare earth separation operations. Additional processing campaigns using material from the company's Round Top project and Serra Verde's Pela Ema mine are currently underway and are expected to produce additional rare earth and critical mineral oxides in the coming weeks.

The Wheat Ridge demonstration facility operates around the clock and is used to generate real-time operating data that will support the design of the company's planned commercial-scale separation facility, which is intended to process both magnet swarf and mixed rare earth carbonate.

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