At the heart of the plant is a hydrogen-based recycling method that transforms end-of-life products such as electric motors, electronics, and wind turbines into reusable magnet material. The process, known as Hydrogen Processing of Magnet Scrap (HPMS), sidesteps traditional chemical separation in favour of a cleaner, physical approach. Magnets react with hydrogen to form a powder that can be extracted and reprocessed—cutting both emissions and reliance on raw material imports.
This technology isn’t entirely new—it’s been in development for over 20 years by researchers at the University’s Magnetic Materials Group. But the new facility marks the first time the process is being deployed at commercial scale. While early pilots handled just 50 to 100 kilograms per batch, the new installation can process 400 kilograms at once, with capacity for 100 tonnes of sintered magnets annually on a single shift. Multi-shift operations could triple that output.
For industry, the timing is significant. As demand for electric vehicles, wind power, and robotics accelerates, manufacturers are facing growing pressure to lower the embedded carbon in supply chains. Rare earth magnets are essential to many of these technologies but are traditionally sourced from overseas, particularly China. The Birmingham facility offers a domestic alternative, with magnets that the University says carry a carbon footprint up to 90% lower than those made from newly mined material.
The project supports the UK government’s "Vision 2035: Critical Minerals Strategy", which sets goals for domestic recycling, production, and diversification of supply chains. One of the key targets is for at least 20% of UK demand for critical minerals to be met through recycling by 2035. The Birmingham facility is positioned to contribute directly to that goal.
Backed by more than £4.5 million in public funding—from Innovate UK, EPSRC, the Advanced Propulsion Centre, and EU Horizon programs—the site also functions as an open-access platform. Companies across automotive, energy, and manufacturing sectors can engage directly with the technology, gaining access to recycled materials and new processing methods.
Commercialization is being led by HyProMag, a University of Birmingham spinout now owned by Maginito, a subsidiary of Mkango Resources. According to the company, this launch is just the start. Plans are underway to expand production capacity at Tyseley and replicate the model across other sites in Europe and North America.
For UK manufacturers, the facility offers more than just recycled content—it restores part of the magnet production value chain that has been missing for decades. With increasing interest in circular design and emissions reporting, access to locally made rare earth magnets could help companies reduce both carbon and cost without overhauling product designs.
Rather than focusing on extraction and mining, the Birmingham project highlights a different kind of resilience: one rooted in domestic processing, lower emissions, and a tighter loop between product, recycling, and reuse.
