Ionic Technologies
Ionic Technologies is a Belfast, Northern Ireland-based rare earth magnet recycling company that has developed a patented hydrometallurgical process using ionic liquids to recover ultrahigh-purity (99.5%+) individual rare earth oxides — neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium — from end-of-life NdFeB magnets and manufacturing swarf. The company operates a 30-tonne-per-annum demonstration plant in Belfast that has been running continuously since 2024 and holds the distinction of being the only company outside China capable of separating all four critical magnet rare earth oxides at scale, a milestone validated by its collaboration with Ford UK, Less Common Metals, and the British Geological Survey to produce recycled magnets for Ford electric vehicles. Ionic Technologies is a wholly owned subsidiary of ASX-listed Ionic Rare Earths (IXR), is actively scaling toward a full commercial plant targeting a 40× capacity increase over the Belfast facility, and has launched a 50:50 joint venture called Viridion in Brazil with Viridis Mining & Minerals to establish rare earth separation and magnet recycling capabilities in South America.