Canadian startup firm Cyclic Materials has announced plans to develop a new commercial-scale US$25-million magnet recycling facility in the company’s hometown of Kingston, Ont.

The 140,000-square-foot facility is slated to include a new research and development centre. Cyclic expects the plant to process 500 tonnes of rare-earth elements (REEs) per year, with production slated to commence in the first quarter of 2026.

The REEs can be reused to produce magnets that are essential to manufacturing EV motors, wind turbines, solar panels, grid-scale batteries and consumer electronics.

“With this Centre of Excellence, we’re advancing our core mission: to secure the most critical elements of the energy transition through circular innovation,” Ahmad Ghahreman, CEO of Cyclic, said in a release. “Kingston is where Cyclic began — and now it’s where we’re anchoring our commercial future.”

“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, said in a release. “Kingston is where Cyclic began — and now it’s where we’re anchoring our commercial future.”

Cyclic’s clients include Solvay, while research partners include Queen’s University, Kingston Process Metallurgy, RXN Hub and Impact Chemistry. The project will receive financial support from Natural Resources Canada’s Critical Minerals Research, Development and Demonstration; Sustainable Development Technology Canada; and the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program.

The Kingston facility will recycle materials shipped from the company’s future recycling facility.

Cyclic announced recently that it will invest about US$20 million to open its first commercial rare- earth element (REE) recycling facility, in Mesa with operations also set to begin in early 2026.

The Arizona site will use Cyclic’s proprietary MagCycle process to recover permanent magnets from end-of-life products. The plant is expected to process up to 25,000 tonnes of material each year and create more than 30 new jobs. Recruitment will start in the second quarter of 2025.

Image: Cyclic Materials