REE4EU · Project

Recycling Rare Earth Metals from Magnet and Battery Waste at Industrial Scale

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Rare earth metals are essential ingredients in everything from electric car motors to wind turbines, yet Europe imports almost all of them and recycles barely 1%. REE4EU figured out how to melt down old magnets and spent batteries using special high-temperature electrolysis and extract the rare earths back out — think of it like refining gold from scrap jewelry, but for these critical metals. They built two pilot plants and actually produced usable rare earth alloys from manufacturing scrap. The goal is to give Europe its own supply of these metals by mining its own waste instead of depending on imports.

By the numbers

Current rare earth waste recovery rate

90%

Target recovery of in-process wastes from PM manufacturing

50%

Energy savings compared to state-of-the-art technologies

100%

Recycling rate of ionic liquids used in the process

Industrial pilot plants built and operated

Consortium partners across the value chain

Countries represented in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Europe depends almost entirely on imports for rare earth metals — critical materials for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and electronics. Despite growing demand, only 1% of rare earth waste is currently recycled because no cost-effective industrial process has existed. This creates a massive supply chain vulnerability for any European manufacturer that relies on permanent magnets or rare earth components.

The solution

What was built

Two industrial pilot plants were built and operated — one at ELKEM and one at LCM — each producing actual batches of rare earth alloys from permanent magnet waste (confirmed by deliverables D6.1 and D6.2). The technology combines high-temperature electrolysis with ionic liquid extraction to go directly from waste to usable alloys, skipping several costly intermediate steps.

Audience

Who needs this

Electronics and battery recycling companies looking to extract higher value from waste streamsPermanent magnet manufacturers wanting to recover rare earths from production scrapElectric vehicle and wind turbine OEMs seeking secure European rare earth supplyProcess engineering firms designing recycling and metal recovery plantsRaw materials traders and brokers focused on critical metals supply

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Electronics and battery recycling

mid-size

Target: Companies that collect and process end-of-life electronics, batteries, or electric vehicle components

If you are a recycling company processing spent batteries and electronic waste — this project developed and piloted a combined high-temperature electrolysis and ionic liquid extraction process that recovers rare earth alloys directly from your waste streams. The pilot achieved up to 90% recovery of in-process wastes from permanent magnet manufacturing, with 50% energy savings compared to conventional methods. Instead of selling low-value scrap, you could produce high-value rare earth alloys.

Permanent magnet manufacturing

mid-size

Target: Producers of permanent magnets for motors, generators, and industrial applications

If you are a magnet manufacturer losing valuable rare earth material as production scrap (swarf) — this project built two industrial pilots proving you can recover 90% of in-process wastes and turn them back into usable rare earth alloys. The process uses 50% less energy than current state-of-the-art and eliminates the need for strong acid leaching by using 100% recyclable ionic liquids. This means your production waste becomes a feedstock instead of a cost.

Wind energy and electric vehicle supply chain

enterprise

Target: OEMs and tier-1 suppliers sourcing permanent magnets for wind turbines or EV motors

If you are a wind turbine or electric vehicle manufacturer worried about rare earth supply security — this project demonstrated a European-based recycling route that can produce rare earth alloys from end-of-life magnets and batteries. With 18 consortium partners covering the full value chain across 8 countries, the replication plan (D9.5) maps out how to scale this across Europe. This could reduce your dependence on imported rare earths for critical green-technology components.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to adopt this recycling technology?

The project data does not include specific cost figures for licensing or equipment. However, the objective states the process delivers 50% energy savings compared to current methods and eliminates expensive strong acid reagents by using 100% recyclable ionic liquids — both of which point to significant operating cost reductions. Contact the consortium for pilot-scale economics.

Can this work at industrial scale, not just in the lab?

Yes — REE4EU moved beyond lab scale to build and operate 2 industrially relevant pilot plants. Deliverables confirm first batches of rare earth alloys were produced at the ELKEM pilot (D6.2) and the LCM pilot (D6.1). The process was validated on both in-process permanent magnet waste (swarf) and end-of-life magnet and battery waste.

What about intellectual property and licensing?

The consortium includes 11 industry partners and 4 research institutes across 8 countries. IP arrangements would need to be discussed with the consortium, led by SINTEF AS in Norway. A replication plan (D9.5) was developed, which suggests the consortium designed this technology for wider deployment.

How does this compare to existing rare earth recycling methods?

Currently only 1% of rare earth waste is recovered because no adequate process exists. REE4EU's integrated approach targets 90% recovery of in-process wastes, uses 50% less energy, and replaces hazardous acid leaching with 100% recyclable ionic liquids. It also eliminates intermediate process steps like pure rare earth extraction and reprocessing.

Which waste streams does this process handle?

The pilots validated the technology on three types of waste: in-process permanent magnet manufacturing scrap (swarf), end-of-life permanent magnets, and secondary battery waste. This covers both factory-floor waste and post-consumer recycling streams.

Is this technology ready to deploy now?

The project ended in September 2019 with successful pilot demonstrations. A replication plan (D9.5) was produced, indicating readiness for scale-up. However, moving from pilot to full commercial operation would require further engineering and investment — the technology is proven but not yet commercially deployed at scale.

Consortium

Who built it

The REE4EU consortium is unusually well-structured for commercialization: 11 out of 18 partners (61%) come from industry, including rare earth metal producers, magnet manufacturers, electronics and battery recyclers, and process engineering firms — covering the entire value chain from waste collection to alloy production. Four SMEs bring agility and market focus, while 4 top research institutes (including coordinator SINTEF in Norway) provide deep expertise in electrolysis, ionic liquids, and rare earth recycling. The 8-country spread across Europe (Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Norway, Sweden, UK) ensures the results can be replicated across different regulatory and market environments. This is a consortium built to move technology out of the lab and into factories.

SINTEF ASCoordinator · NO
IDENER TECHNOLOGIES SLparticipant · ES
LESS COMMON METALS LIMITEDparticipant · UK
STENA RECYCLING ABthirdparty · SE
STIFTELSEN SINTEFparticipant · NO
FUNDACION TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATIONparticipant · ES
COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVESparticipant · FR
VACUUMSCHMELZE GMBH & CO KGparticipant · DE
PNO INNOVATION SRLthirdparty · IT
SOCIETE NOUVELLE D'AFFINAGE DES METAUX-SNAM SASparticipant · FR
CONSEIL EUROPEEN DE L'INDUSTRIE CHIMIQUEparticipant · BE
STENA RECYCLING INTERNATIONAL ABparticipant · SE
ELKEM ASAparticipant · NO
UNIVERSITE PAUL SABATIER TOULOUSE IIIparticipant · FR
PNO INNOVATIONparticipant · BE

How to reach the team

SINTEF AS (Norway) — a major Scandinavian research organization. Contact their materials and chemistry department for REE4EU follow-up.

Order a report on this consortium See SINTEF AS profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore rare earth recycling technology from REE4EU for your operations? SciTransfer can connect you with the right consortium partner — whether you need the recycling process, the extraction chemistry, or the pilot plant design.

Order a report on this topic More in Manufacturing & Industry 4.0