# Hub-and-spoke magnet recycling by Cyclic Materials

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/materials/magnet-recycling-network
Frontier: [Materials](https://technooptimist.io/materials.md) · Field: Rare-earth mining & refining · Company: [Cyclic Materials](https://technooptimist.io/companies/cyclic-materials.md)
Stage: Deploy (4 of 5: Research → Proto → Pilot → Deploy → Scaling)
Updated: last update 2026-09-10, facts checked 2026-10-11
Goal: Turn the rare-earth magnets thrown away in old drives, motors and electronics into new magnet feedstock, giving the West neodymium, dysprosium and terbium that need no new mine.
Status: Mesa, Arizona spoke open since Sep 2026 (25,000 t/yr scrap); South Carolina campus due in 2028.
Next milestone: Groundbreaking of South Carolina campus, target Q4 2026

## Milestones

| Status | Milestone | Date | Slip |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Done | Cyclic Materials founded | 2021 |   |
| Done | Kingston, Ontario hub and R&D centre opens | 2025 |   |
| Done | Expanded VACUUMSCHMELZE scrap partnership | Oct 2025 |   |
| Done | US$75M Series C | Jan 2026 |   |
| Done | Mesa, Arizona spoke opens (25,000 t/yr) | Sep 2026 |   |
| Current | Groundbreaking of South Carolina campus | Q4 2026 |   |
| Planned | South Carolina campus operating (600 t/yr oxides) | 2028 |   |

## Upcoming events

- **Q4 2026**: Groundbreaking of South Carolina campus
- **2028**: South Carolina campus operating (600 t/yr oxides)

## Most important updates

- **10 Sep 2026**: Cyclic Materials opens 25,000 t/yr magnet-recovery plant in Mesa, Arizona. Cyclic opened its first US plant, a US$20 million, 144,000 sq ft facility in Mesa that can take up to 25,000 tonnes of scrap a year. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/cyclic-materials-opens-25-000-t-yr-magnet-recovery-plant-in-mesa-arizona-5cef4f13.md) · [original source](https://www.manufacturingdive.com/news/rare-earth-recycler-cyclic-materials-opens-first-us-facility-mesa-arizona/830028/))
- **27 Aug 2026**: Cyclic Materials adds US$75M strategic round to speed its South Carolina buildout. A second US$75 million round, again led by T. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/cyclic-materials-adds-us-75m-strategic-round-to-speed-its-south-3cda4ccc.md) · [original source](https://cyclicmaterials.earth/resources/cyclic-materials-announces-usd-75-million-strategic-growth-financing-to-scale-u-s-rare-earth-production))
- **29 Jan 2026**: Cyclic Materials plans US$82M rare-earth recycling campus in McBee, South Carolina. Cyclic announced a campus in Chesterfield County, South Carolina combining its second US magnet-recovery spoke with its largest refining hub. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/cyclic-materials-plans-us-82m-rare-earth-recycling-campus-in-mcbee-faeb6383.md) · [original source](https://cyclicmaterials.earth/resources/cyclic-materials-to-expand-u-s-rare-earth-recycling-footprint-with-new-south-carolina-campus))
- **23 Jan 2026**: Cyclic Materials raises US$75M Series C led by T. Rowe Price-advised accounts. Cyclic Materials closed an oversubscribed US$75 million Series C led by accounts advised by T. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/cyclic-materials-raises-us-75m-series-c-led-by-t-rowe-price-advised-2f915b6c.md) · [original source](https://pulse2.com/cyclic-materials-75-million-series-c-funding/amp/))

## Current obstacles

- **Hub capacity lags the spokes**: Mesa can take 25,000 t of scrap a year, but the large refining hub in South Carolina is not due until 2028.
- **Building a steady feedstock network**: Supply relies on many recyclers and OEMs; magnets inside end-of-life products are mostly not recovered today.

## Physics limits

- **Magnets are a small part of the scrap**: Products contain only a little magnet material, so tens of thousands of tonnes of scrap yield a few hundred to a few thousand tonnes of magnet feed.
- **Recycling trails demand**: The scrap available today reflects magnets sold years ago; while demand for EV and robot motors is growing, recycling can cover only part of new supply.

## How it works

### Feed: Scrap nobody mines for rare earths

Discarded electronics, robots, medical devices, e-scooters and magnet-factory swarf, gathered through recyclers and OEM partners.

### MagCycle: Machines pull out the magnets

Shredding and automated sorting separate magnet material (Mag-Xtract) from steel, while also recovering copper and aluminium.

### REEPure: Chemistry recovers the oxides

The magnet material is dissolved and the rare earths recovered as mixed oxides; solvent extraction then separates NdPr, terbium and dysprosium.

## Spec sheet

| Spec | Hub-and-spoke magnet recycling | Provenance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mesa scrap capacity | Up to 25,000 t/yr | reported |
| Mesa investment | ~US$20 million | reported |
| Scrap delivered to Mesa at opening | >7,000 t | reported |
| SC magnet material capacity | 2,000 t/yr (planned 6,000) | reported |
| SC mixed oxide output | 600 t/yr (planned 1,800) | reported |
| SC campus investment | >US$82 million | reported |
| Rare-earth recovery rate | >90% (company figure) | reported |

Provenance: reported = stated by the company; estimated = our estimate; sample = a sample figure.

## About Cyclic Materials

Toronto-based recycler founded in 2021 that pulls rare-earth magnets out of scrapped electronics, motors and factory waste and refines them back into rare-earth oxides, with sites in Ontario, Arizona and South Carolina.

- Opened a 25,000 t/yr magnet-recovery plant in Mesa, Arizona in September 2026.
- Raised two US$75M rounds in 2026, led by T. Rowe Price-advised accounts; US$237M equity in total.
- Building an $82M+ South Carolina campus that will also recycle VACUUMSCHMELZE's magnet factory scrap.

- Founded: 2021
- Headquarters: CA
- Status: private
- Raised: $150M
- Last round: Strategic growth round $75M, Aug 2026, led by T. Rowe Price
- Website: https://cyclicmaterials.earth
- People: Ahmad Ghahreman (Founder and CEO); Matt Cherevaty (Chief Operating Officer)
- Partners, customers, investors: VACUUMSCHMELZE (supplier); Neo Performance Materials (partner); ERI (investor); Natural Resources Canada (investor)

Company page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/cyclic-materials.md

## Related programs

Everything in Materials: https://technooptimist.io/materials.md

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