What Ionic Technologies does

Ionic Technologies is a Belfast-headquartered magnet recycling company and a 100%-owned subsidiary of ASX-listed Ionic Rare Earths Limited (IXR). It was originally spun out of Queen's University Belfast in 2016 as Seren Technologies, acquired and rebranded by IonicRE in October 2022, and now operates a 30 tonnes-per-annum demonstration plant at Belfast's Titanic Quarter. The company's core technology is a patented 15-stage hydrometallurgical solvent extraction process using ionic liquids, developed at the QUILL Research Centre, that converts spent NdFeB magnets, swarf, and end-of-life magnets into individually separated rare earth oxides — neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium — at 99.5-99.9% purity. Ionic Technologies is positioned as the only company outside China capable of separating all four critical magnet REOs at scale, supported by peer-reviewed lifecycle analysis showing 30-61% CO2 reductions versus primary mining and a planned Nth Cycle electro-extraction upgrade that targets a 70% capital intensity reduction.

Name

Ionic Technologies

Legal name

Ionic Technologies

Website

https://ionictechnologies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ionic Technologies is a Belfast-based subsidiary of ASX-listed Ionic Rare Earths that operates a patented ionic liquid hydrometallurgical process to recycle NdFeB magnets into high-purity (99.5%+) separated rare earth oxides (Nd, Pr, Dy, Tb) for defense, EV, wind, and advanced manufacturing customers, including Ford UK, LCM, VAC, and GKN.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rare Earth Magnet Recycling

NAICS

Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Smelting and Refining (33141), Other Basic Inorganic Chemical Manufacturing (325180)

SIC

Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341), Industrial Inorganic Chemicals (2810)

akta.pro primary industry

Rare Earths Separation & Refining (Oxides/Metals) (IMAKAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Metals Recovery & Sorting Facilities (Ferrous/Non-Ferrous) (EUAIADAG)

Keywords

• Rare earth recycling
• Magnet recycling
• Rare earth oxides
• Hydrometallurgical processing
• Critical minerals refining

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Rare Earth Oxide Sales: Sale of high-purity separated rare earth oxides (neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, terbium) produced from recycled magnet scrap to magnet alloy and magnet manufacturers.
2. Technology Licensing: Licensing of proprietary magnet recycling technology for deployment at third-party facilities globally, including the Viridion joint venture in Brazil and potential US operations with US Strategic Metals.
3. Processing Services: Toll processing of magnet scrap and end-of-life magnets for third parties, converting feedstock into separated REOs.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ionic Technologies operates a patented hydrometallurgical solvent extraction process that recovers individually separated, high-purity rare earth oxides (neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium at 99.5–99.9% purity) from spent NdFeB permanent magnets and magnet swarf. The company runs a 30 tonnes-per-annum demonstration plant in Belfast and generates revenue by selling separated rare earth oxides to magnet alloy and magnet manufacturers, licensing its recycling technology through joint ventures, and providing toll processing services for third-party magnet scrap.

Product overview

Ionic Technologies offers a suite of rare earth magnet recycling and refining solutions anchored by its patented 15-stage hydrometallurgical solvent extraction process. The core product is the company's proprietary magnet recycling technology, which recovers individually separated high-purity rare earth oxides (Nd, Pr, Dy, Tb) at 99.5%+ purity from spent NdFeB magnets. This technology is currently operational at a 30 tpa demonstration plant in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The company is scaling up through a planned commercial plant at Belfast Harbour (targeting 1,200 tpa input / 400 tpa REO output), a joint venture 'Viridion' in Brazil (refinery + recycling, targeting H2 2026 start), and a partnership with US Strategic Metals for a Missouri-based recycling facility. All offerings share the same proprietary ionic-liquid-based hydrometallurgical separation platform, enabling modular global deployment of closed-loop rare earth supply chains.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• High-Purity Separated Rare Earth Oxides (Nd, Pr, Dy, Tb) Individually separated, high-purity (99.5–99.9%) rare earth oxides — neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium — produced at Ionic Technologies' Belfast demonstration plant from recycled NdFeB magnet scrap and end-of-life magnets. Sold to magnet alloy manufacturers (Less Common Metals, Vacuumschmelze) and magnet producers serving electric vehicles, wind turbines, and defense applications.
• Magnet Recycling Technology Licensing Licensing of Ionic Technologies' patented 15-stage hydrometallurgical ionic-liquid separation technology for deployment at third-party facilities globally, including the Viridion joint venture in Brazil and the planned Missouri facility with US Strategic Metals. Generates licensing royalties and enables global closed-loop rare earth supply chains.
• Toll Magnet Recycling / Processing Services Toll processing of customer-supplied NdFeB magnet scrap, swarf, and end-of-life magnets into individually separated high-purity rare earth oxides at Ionic Technologies' Belfast facility. Offered to magnet manufacturers, OEMs, and recyclers needing closed-loop processing capacity without building their own hydrometallurgical separation plant.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30-61% reduction in carbon emissions compared to primary mining
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, supporting and foundational.

• Nth CyclecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Joint Development and Licensing Agreement to integrate Nth Cycle's electro-extraction technology into IonicRE's Belfast pilot facility, replacing the oxalic acid precipitation step with an electricity-driven process. Targets Q4 2026 integration, reduces capital intensity by up to 70%, and eliminates Chinese chemical supply chain dependency. Builds on Nth Cycle's $1.1 billion offtake agreement with Trafigura.
• Ionic Rare Earths LimitedcoreOthersIonic Rare Earths Limited (ASX: IXR) acquired Seren Technologies in October 2022, renamed it Ionic Technologies. Parent company is Australian-listed and drives global expansion strategy across UK, US, and Brazil.
• Ford UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK consortium led by Ionic Technologies successfully tested an EV motor rotor built with 100% recycled rare earth magnets at Ford's Dunton R&D facility. Rotor passed durability cycles comparable to production-grade mined-material rotors. Validates circular rare earth supply chain for automotive applications.
• Less Common Metals (LCM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to demonstrate circular supply chain for high-performance rare earth permanent magnets. LCM converts recycled rare earth oxides into magnet specification alloys. USA Rare Earth acquired LCM in late 2025.
• GKNcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to manufacture finished magnets from recycled rare earth oxides. GKN manufactured the Ford rotor magnets at their facility in Germany, validating the full supply chain from recycled materials.
• US Strategic MetalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOU signed November 2025 at Australian Embassy in Washington, D.C. to develop vertically integrated rare earth production from recycling at USSM's fully permitted 1,800-acre site in Missouri. Partnership supports US-Australia Framework for Securing Supply in Critical Minerals and Rare Earths signed October 2025.
• Viridis Mining & MineralscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner50:50 joint venture 'Viridion' to develop rare earth separation refinery and magnet recycling facility in Brazil (Poços de Caldas, Minas Gerais). Leverages Ionic Technologies' Belfast-proven IP to expand into the Americas. Operations expected to begin H2 2026.
• Vacuumschmelze (VAC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with major European magnet manufacturer (alongside LCM) to recycle magnet swarf into new magnet alloys. UK/EU collaboration backed by Innovate UK grants, establishing fully closed-loop magnet supply chain.
• British Geological Survey (BGS)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration through UK Government's CLIMATES program to create traceable circular supply chain from recycled magnets for EVs. BGS participated in feasibility study for commercial plant scaling.
• Queen's University Belfast / QUILL Research CentrefoundationalTechnology or IntegrationOrigin of Ionic Technologies' ionic liquid technology. QUILL (Queen's University Ionic Liquid Laboratories) is the oldest established centre dedicated to studying ionic liquids. Company maintains strong ties, regularly collaborating on research and IP development.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cyclic Materials: Canada-based rare earth magnet recycler using a hydrometallurgical process to recover Nd, Pr, Dy, and Tb from end-of-life magnets. Direct head-to-head competitor to Ionic with similar product (separated REOs) and customer base (EV, wind, defense OEMs).
• HyProMag: UK-based magnet recycling subsidiary of Mkango Resources, using a hydrogen decrepitation route to process NdFeB scrap into recycled magnets. Competes with Ionic in the same Western supply chain for closed-loop magnet materials.
• REEtec: Norwegian rare earth separation company using solvent extraction to produce separated REOs (Nd, Pr, Dy, Tb) from both primary and recycled feed. Directly competes on separation technology and end-product specification.
• USA Rare Earth: US-listed company developing the Round Top heavy rare earth project and recently acquiring Less Common Metals (Ionic's partner). Competes both upstream in REE mining and downstream in magnet alloy supply.

Broad incumbents

• Energy Fuels: US-based uranium and critical minerals processor that has expanded into rare earth separation at its White Mesa mill, producing separated NdPr and other REOs. A broader incumbent moving into Ionic's core separation segment.
• Solvay (La Rochelle): European chemical major operating the historic La Rochelle rare earth separation facility in France, the only large-scale Western REE separation plant prior to Ionic's Belfast build-out. Incumbent reference point for Western REE supply.

Emerging players

• Mkango Resources: Canadian-listed parent of HyProMag with primary rare earth mining (Songwe Hill) and downstream recycling exposure. Comparable integrated REE mining-and-recycling model and a competing route into Western NdFeB supply.
• Nth Cycle: US electro-extraction technology company partnering with Ionic Technologies to replace oxalic acid precipitation. Adjacent technology provider with its own nickel and cobalt refining business and a $1.1B Trafigura offtake deal.

Others

• Vacuumschmelze (VAC): Major European magnet manufacturer partnering with Ionic to recycle swarf into new magnet alloys. A downstream customer and channel partner in Ionic's closed-loop supply chain.
• Less Common Metals (LCM): UK-based magnet alloy manufacturer (now owned by USA Rare Earth) converting Ionic's recycled REOs into magnet-grade alloys. Supply chain partner and a key enabler of Ionic's Ford UK validation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ionic Technologies