Cyclic Materials closes the gap on rare earth magnet waste with new partnership
The 10-year agreement will recycle 100 percent of the magnet by-products created at VAC’s South Carolina manufacturing facility
Cyclic Materials, a recycling company specializing in creating a circular supply chain for rare earth elements (REEs) and other critical materials, has expanded its partnership with VACUUMSCHMELZE (VAC), a developer of magnetic materials and solutions.
An exclusive agreement to expand battery recycling
The companies have signed a 10-year exclusive agreement for recycling 100 percent of the magnet production by?-products (i.e., swarf) that will be produced at VAC's new manufacturing facility in Sumter, South Carolina, scheduled to begin operations at the end of 2025. This extended partnership builds on the 2024 agreement between the two companies, which ensures the efficient recycling of critical materials used in high-performance permanent magnets.
VAC produces neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) rare earth magnets, which are essential to automotive, defense, industrial, and renewable energy applications. Through this extended agreement, VAC also strengthens its commitment to circularity with the option to reintegrate recycled Mixed Rare Earth Oxides (rMREOs) from Cyclic Materials into its own production processes.
"At Cyclic Materials, our mission is to recover critical materials from permanent magnets that can be put back into the magnet supply chain to reduce the reliance on traditional mining methods and overseas sources," said Ahmad Ghahreman, co-founder and CEO of Cyclic Materials. "With the extension of our partnership with VAC, we're collectively building more momentum towards our goal of building a North American supply chain. VAC brings not only a reliable source of raw materials for extraction but also decades of expertise in rare earth magnet technology. Together we are making the circular economy a reality."
"We are pleased to expand our partnership with Cyclic Materials to further support the circular economy for critical materials essential to the energy transition," said Dr. Erik Eschen, CEO of VACUUMSCHMELZE. "The addition of this new contract for our South Carolina facility strengthens our ability to localize the recovery and reintegration of REEs back into our production. By continuing to leverage Cyclic Materials' innovative recycling processes alongside our advanced magnet manufacturing, we are collectively ensuring a sustainable and high-purity feedstock for high-performance magnets to meet current and future industrial demand."
