Cyclic Materials to open North America’s first commercial rare earth recycling centre with $25M investment
The Ontario-based facility aims to secure a circular supply chain for rare earths and other critical minerals
Cyclic Materials will make a USD 25 million investment to launch North America's first Centre of Excellence for rare earth recycling in Kingston, Ontario, which will also create 45 new skilled jobs in the region.
Spanning over 140,000 square feet, the new facility will serve as Cyclic's industrial and innovation backbone, combining full-scale commercial processing and 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 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 an all-new R&D centre, 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 percent 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.
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.
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.
"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."
"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."
