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Business Standard
19-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Attero to invest ₹100 crore to scale rare earth recycling capacity
E-waste recycling company Attero plans to invest Rs 100 crore to scale up its rare earth recycling capacity to 30,000 tonnes from 300 tonnes over the next 12 to 24 months, a top official of the firm said on Thursday. China in April imposed restrictions on exports of rare earth, a critical mineral used in manufacturing of electronic, automobile and other technology products. Attero CEO and Co-Founder Nitin Gupta told PTI that the investment is in line with demand in the market for rare earth magnets, for which industries in India and across the world like electronics, automobile etc are entirely dependent on supplies from China. "With our existing capability and technology leadership, we are ready to scale our REE recycling capacity from 1 to 100 tonnes per day to reach a total of 30,000 tonnes annually and explore further expansion as demand accelerates. We plan to invest Rs 100 crore towards this expansion," he said. The company will focus on extraction of rare earth minerals such as Neodymium (Nd), Praseodymium (Pr), and Dysprosium (Dy) with over 98 per cent efficiency and 99.9 per cent purity. These are essential to key sectors including electric vehicles, wind energy, and consumer electronics. "Attero has consistently advocated for India's self-reliance in critical minerals to reduce dependence on imports and counter China's dominance in rare earth supply chains. "We are proud to be the only Indian company with proven deep-tech and globally patented processes to refine black mass and recover rare earth elements. The current global environment only reinforces the urgency of building domestic infrastructure," Gupta said. The government has launched the National Critical Mineral Mission in January to build a strong foundation for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector. The initiative recognises recycling as a key strategy to secure domestic supply chains and reduce dependence on imports. Gupta said that his company's expansion directly supports the government's National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) aimed at reducing import dependence and promote self-reliance in critical mineral supply chains. According to industry estimates shared by Attero in a note, the global REE market is projected to reach USD 10.9 billion by 2029 at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 12.6 per cent, and REE magnets expected to exceed USD 30.3 billion by 2033. Gupta said that Attero holds over 46 global patents, including recent grants in the rare earth space across India and key international markets including Oman , Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE , Bahrain, China and Taiwan. "Attero's patented technology enables the extraction of REEs from e-waste and end-of-life electronics such as hard disk drives, laptops, neckbands, and earphones; components that contain high concentrations of Nd, Pr, Ce, Gd, and Dy. The process is energy-efficient, cost-effective, and significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional mining," Gupta said. In the financial year 2025, Attero claims to have processed over 1.5 lakh tonnes of e-waste and 15,000 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries annually and targeting a Y-o-Y growth of 100 per cent. Attero also has plans to expand its footprint in Europe and the US. The company aims to ramp up its annual e-waste processing to 4,15,000 tonnes and battery recycling to 50,000 tonnes, expanding its global capacity and furthering India's leadership in critical mineral recycling.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Attero to invest ₹100 cr to expand rare earth recycling capacity to 30,000 tonnes
Attero , India's largest e-waste recycling company, has announced plans to scale up its rare earth element (REE) recycling capacity from 300 tonnes to 30,000 tonnes annually over the next 12 to 24 months. The expansion will involve an investment of ₹100 crore and supports the Union government's recently launched National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM), which aims to reduce import dependence and strengthen domestic supply chains. The announcement assumes significance in the face of curbs imposed by China on exports of rare earth magnets. Rare earth elements such as Neodymium (Nd), Praseodymium (Pr), and Dysprosium (Dy) are vital for sectors including electric mobility, wind energy, and electronics. With the global REE market expected to reach $10.9 billion by 2029 and REE magnets forecasted to exceed $30.3 billion by 2033, India has identified recycling and extraction of these materials as a key strategic priority. Technology-led expansion 'Attero has consistently advocated for India's self-reliance in critical minerals to reduce dependence on imports and counter China's dominance in rare earth supply chains,' said Nitin Gupta, CEO and Co-founder of Attero. 'We are proud to be the only Indian company with proven deep-tech and globally patented processes to refine black mass and recover rare earth elements with over 98 per cent efficiency and 99.9 pe purity. With our existing capability and technology leadership, we are ready to scale our REE recycling capacity from 1 to 100 tonnes per day to reach a total of 30,000 tonnes annually. We plan to invest ₹100 crore towards this expansion,' he added. Attero uses a proprietary process to extract REEs from e-waste and end-of-life electronics such as hard disk drives, laptops, neckbands, and earphones, which contain high concentrations of Nd, Pr, Ce, Gd, and Dy. The company states that the method is more energy-efficient and produces lower greenhouse gas emissions than traditional mining processes. In FY25, Attero processed over 150,000 tonnes of e-waste and 15,000 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries . It targets 100 per cent year-on-year growth and aims to increase e-waste processing capacity to 415,000 tonnes and battery recycling to 50,000 tonnes annually. International patents and global expansion plans Attero holds over 46 patents globally, including recent grants related to rare earth recovery in India, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, China, and Taiwan. These patents support the company's international expansion strategy, with future operations planned in Europe and the United States. The National Critical Mineral Mission recognises recycling as a central strategy to secure critical mineral supply chains. Attero's expanded capabilities align with this policy framework, offering a domestic pathway to reduce reliance on imports and enhance India's position in global critical mineral recovery.
DW
13-06-2025
- Science
- DW
What's the big deal with rare earth elements? – DW – 06/13/2025
What do EVs, fighter jets and digital cameras have in common? Rare earth elements that are wanted everywhere but only sourced in some places. Rare earth elements are a group of 17 chemical elements that play an often small but irreplaceable role in many essential modern technological products. Smartphones, flat-screen TVs, digital cameras and LEDs all rely on them but arguably one of their most important uses is in the making of what are known as permanent magnets. These components can retain their magnetic properties for decades, and because they are so strong, they can be much smaller and lighter than any non-rare-earth alternatives currently available. As a result, they are critical to the construction of electric vehicles and wind turbines. But the uses for rare earth elements, also known as REEs, do not stop there. They are also key to a huge range of defense technologies — from fighter jets to submarines and laser range finders. This strategic importance, both for commerce and defense, is part of what makes them so valuable. Neodymium and praseodymium, the most important REEs for permanent magnets, currently go for around €55 ($62) per kilogram. Terbium can sell for a kilo price of up to €850. Neodymium: The metal driving the energy transition To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Where do they come from? The 17 elements are not as 'rare' as their collective name might imply. In fact, they're very common, with trace amounts being found all over the world. The challenge comes in finding areas with high enough concentrations to make extraction financially viable. Right now, according to US Geological Survey data, 70% of the world's rare earth elements are mined in China, the vast majority coming from the Bayan Obi mine in the country's north. This single source is orders of magnitude larger than the next biggest deposits on the planet — such as Mount Weld in Australia and Kvanefjeld in Greenland — and contains large quantities of all the rare earth elements used to make magnets. Once they're out of the ground, they undergo a highly specialized process of separation and refinement to turn them into usable compounds. This too, largely takes place in China, meaning the country doesn't only provide most of the world's rare earth metals, but most of its magnets too. Rare earth elements are shipped in containers of soil such as here at Lianyungang port in China's Jiangsu province Image: REUTERS This monopoly becomes even more powerful with certain types of the 17 REEs, which are split into three groups: light, medium and heavy, roughly based on their atomic value. The lighter elements are typically less valuable and easier to source, with the magnet ingredients Neodymium and Praseodymium being the exceptions. Between 80-100% of the EU's supply of elements from this group come from China. And for the heavier elements, which are much less abundant and require an even more specialized separation process, Europe sources 100% from China. What happens if China cuts off access? China's monopoly has many Western nations concerned about future access. So in recent years, the US and EU have responded by starting the process of building internal supplies of rare earth elements and other critical materials. In 2024, the EU signed the Critical Raw Materials Act, which sets non-binding targets for the volume of critical materials the EU should produce itself by 2030. It also allows the bloc to designate 'strategic projects,' both within the EU and with close allies such as Norway, as a way of to ensure access to funding, boost public acceptance and fast track approvals and permits. Meanwhile, the US defense department has been investing heavily in domestic companies since 2020 and has set a goal of creating an internal 'mine-to-magnet' supply chain by 2027. The US and EU have both expressed interest in untapped sources of rare earth elements. Ukraine and Greenland have become areas of key interest for US President Donald Trump. Both have very large potential deposits that are currently hard to get to, leaving the future of access to rare earth elements for Western countries uncertain. Edited by: Tamsin Walker
Business Wire
11-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Cyclic Materials Announces USD $25M Investment to Establish Centre of Excellence for Rare Earth Recycling in Kingston, Ontario
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cyclic Materials, the advanced recycling company building a circular supply chain for rare earth elements (REEs), today announced a USD $25 million investment to launch North America's first Centre of Excellence for rare earth recycling in Kingston, Ontario, which will result in 45 new skilled jobs in the region. Spanning over 140,000 square feet, the first-of-its-kind facility will serve as Cyclic's industrial and innovation backbone, combining full-scale commercial processing and cutting-edge research and development (R&D) to address one of the world's most pressing supply chain challenges: the resilient sourcing of rare earth elements for use in permanent magnets. A Strategic Facility Serving a Circular Future The Kingston Centre of Excellence will house Cyclic Materials' first commercial 'Hub' processing unit, leveraging the company's proprietary REEPure SM technology. The facility is designed to convert 500 tonnes of magnet-rich feedstock annually into recycled Mixed Rare Earth Oxide (rMREO)—a product containing crucial components for permanent magnets used in EV motors, wind turbines, and consumer electronics such as Neodymium, Praseodymium, Terbium, and Dysprosium. Feedstock for this facility will be sourced from both Cyclic's Arizona-based 'Spoke', where end-of-life products will be processed, as well as a growing network of partners supplying magnet scrap from production. With operations set to begin in Q1 2026, rMREO from this facility will supply key partners within the magnet value chain, like Solvay, with whom Cyclic Materials signed an offtake agreement in 2024, providing a secondary resource of critical rare earth elements. The site will also house a state-of-the-art R&D center, including advanced labs and a mini-Spoke line, to accelerate process optimization and scale next-generation technologies across the rare earth value chain. Breaking Global Dependency with Local Innovation Today, less than 1% of rare earth elements are recycled, and global supply chains remain highly sensitive to growing geopolitical tensions and supply concentration. Cyclic Materials' proprietary MagCycle℠ and REEPure℠ technologies recover REEs from end-of-life products such as EVs, wind turbines, and data center hard drives—delivering a low-footprint, circular alternative to mining and a fast track to domestic supply security. 'With this Centre of Excellence, we're advancing our core mission: to secure the most critical elements of the energy transition through circular innovation,' said Ahmad Ghahreman, CEO of Cyclic Materials. 'Kingston is where Cyclic began—and now it's where we're anchoring our commercial future.' Kingston: The Cornerstone for the Next Generation of Cleantech Kingston has played a foundational role in the company's success—home to its commercial demonstration facilities and a deep bench of collaborators in research, engineering, and cleantech. The Centre of Excellence will build on robust partnerships with Queen's University, Kingston Process Metallurgy (KPM), RXN Hub, and Impact Chemistry, as well as support from national innovation programs including CMRDD (Critical Minerals Research, Development and Demonstration) from Natural Resources Canada, Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), and the National Research Council's Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP). The facility is expected to create over 45 highly qualified new jobs, with more than 20 hires already onboard. Recruitment has already started with key roles for plant operators, process technicians, and innovation staff. "We are thrilled to see Cyclic Materials' significant investment to establish their Centre of Excellence and Hub in Kingston, Ontario. This announcement not only creates high-quality jobs in the community but is a reflection of the expertise, talent, and supportive ecosystem Kingston has to offer companies,' said Shelley Hirstwood, Director of Business Development at Kingston Economic Development Corporation. 'We are proud to support Cyclic Materials' efforts to create a circular supply chain addressing Canada's critical minerals and rare earth elements." Scaling a North American Rare Earth Recycling Network This investment marks a pivotal step in Cyclic Materials' broader plan to scale its rare earth recycling infrastructure across North America and Europe. With strategic alliances including Solvay, Glencore, Lime, and Sims Lifecycle Solutions, the company is building a resilient, sustainable, and circular ecosystem for rare earth magnets—supporting the electrification of industries and the secure supply of critical materials. About Cyclic Materials Cyclic Materials, founded in 2021, is a cleantech company building a circular supply chain for rare earth elements (REEs) and other critical materials essential to the clean energy transition. Its innovative technology transforms end-of-life products into valuable raw materials used in EVs, wind turbines, and electronics. In 2023, the company launched a commercial demo facility using its MagCycle℠ process to recover rare earth magnets. In 2024, it opened a second facility in Kingston, Ontario, producing Mixed Rare Earth Oxide via its REEPure℠ hydrometallurgical process. With demand for REE-based magnets surging, Cyclic Materials is scaling globally across North America, Europe, and Asia. Mesa, Arizona, is its first U.S. location. In recognition of its pioneering work, it was named the #8 Most Innovative company in North America by Fast Company in 2025. Learn more at
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US extracts rare earths from hard drives, strikes blow to China's dominance
With rare earth exports caught in the crossfire of rising U.S.–China tariffs, the global tech and defense industries are bracing for supply disruptions. On April 4, China imposed new restrictions on seven critical rare earth elements and magnets, requiring export licenses and delaying outbound shipments. The move came in direct response to U.S. tariffs of up to 145 percent and has shaken markets reliant on these strategic materials. The tariffs on China have since then shot up to an astonishing 245 percent. More than half of the United States' supply of critical minerals currently comes from China. Now, a domestic recycling initiative may offer a way out of this dependence by turning discarded data center hardware into a reliable, eco-friendly source of rare earths and valuable metals. In a first-of-its-kind pilot, Western Digital, Microsoft, Critical Materials Recycling (CMR), and PedalPoint Recycling processed nearly 50,000 pounds of decommissioned hard drives and server hardware. Using a new acid-free chemical method, the team extracted rare earth elements like Neodymium, Praseodymium, and Dysprosium, as well as high-purity gold, copper, aluminum, and steel. The recycled materials are already feeding back into supply chains supporting electric vehicles, wind energy, and next-generation electronics. At the heart of the process is acid-free dissolution recycling (ADR), a technology developed by the Critical Materials Innovation (CMI) Hub. The pilot reached a 90 percent recovery rate for rare earths and base metals, along with 80 percent total material recovery by mass. 'This initiative sets a new standard for end-of-life data storage management,' said Jackie Jung, vice president of Global Operations Strategy and Corporate Sustainability at Western Digital. 'This project is more than a milestone. It's a model for sustainable progress in critical material recovery.' The process also delivers major environmental gains. According to a life cycle analysis, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 95 percent compared to conventional mining and refining. The pilot drew materials from Microsoft data centers across the U.S., underscoring its potential for scalability. Chuck Graham, corporate vice president at Microsoft, said the results show it's possible to build an economically viable and sustainable system for handling decommissioned hard drives. 'It's an opportunity to reuse and recycle materials, cut waste, and reduce carbon impacts across our entire sector,' Graham said. The implications stretch beyond corporate sustainability. By performing the entire rare earth oxide production process domestically, the program boosts national security while reducing exposure to volatile global markets. With international trade policies becoming more unpredictable, securing a homegrown supply chain has become a top strategic priority for the U.S. Tom Lograsso, director of the CMI Hub, praised the team's rapid development. 'Scaling ADR from lab bench to demonstration scale in just eight years is an incredible achievement,' he said. With demand for hard drives climbing in tandem with AI and data storage growth, the potential to recover rare earths at scale offers a long-term solution for the U.S. 'This pilot shows what's possible when industry leaders collaborate,' said Brian Diesselhorst, CEO of PedalPoint Recycling. 'The impact could be massive.' As geopolitical tensions rise, a domestic answer to rare earth supply may no longer be optional, it may be essential.
