Ionic Technologies Belfast
Ionic Technologies' magnet recycling and rare earth separation site in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A 10 t/y REO demonstration plant is operating and anchored the Innovate UK CLIMATES project; a planned 400 t/y commercial plant at Queen's Island, Belfast Harbour holds a GBP 12 million DRIVE35 capital grant offer-in-principle (27 January 2026) but remains pre-FID and unbuilt.
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Demonstration plant - magnet recycling and separation (operating)
Patented long-loop hydrometallurgical recycling of NdFeB magnet scrap into separated high-purity rare earth oxides; 10 t/y REO demonstration plant developed through APC Technical Development Accelerator (2021), APC Scale-Up Readiness Validation (2022) and Innovate UK CLIMATES (2023-24)
Material flow
Magnet Scrap and End-of-Life Feedstock → NdPr Oxide, Dysprosium and Terbium Oxides
Capacity
Qualification
Commercial magnet recycling plant (announced; pre-FID, not built)
Announced
Planned first-of-kind commercial long-loop recycling plant processing 1,200 t/y of end-of-life magnets, swarf and pre-consumer waste into 400 t/y of 99.5%-plus purity separated rare earth oxides (Nd2O3, (NdPr)2O3, Dy2O3, Tb4O7) at Queen's Island, Belfast Harbour Estate; GBP 12 million DRIVE35 grant offer-in-principle received, final investment decision pending
Material flow
Magnet Scrap and End-of-Life Feedstock → NdPr Oxide, Dysprosium and Terbium Oxides
Capacity
Qualification
Sources
- Ionic Rare Earths Limited · published Jan 27, 2026 · retrieved Aug 11, 2026 · archive
- Innovate UK Business Connect · published Mar 25, 2026 · retrieved Aug 11, 2026 · archive unavailable: No Wayback snapshot found via redirect and follow probes on the 2026-08-12 backfill pass; capture remains queued
- UK Government (GOV.UK) · published Nov 22, 2025 · retrieved Aug 11, 2026 · archive