US rare earths refiner demonstrates high-purity rare earths production possible from primary and waste streams

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. US-based critical minerals refining and recovery company Momentum Technologies has managed to produce some of the purest rare earths ever reported at its demonstration plant in Carrollton, Texas. This breakthrough, following the company's recent achievement of commercial-grade battery material purity from black mass refining, now makes Momentum Technologies one of the only companies in the US that can refine both rare earths and battery metals from mined ore and end-of-life materials - at commercially relevant purities. CEO Mahesh Konduru says these milestones are a generational leap for domestic critical minerals. "Our MSX technology is achieving unmatched purity levels from multiple feedstocks and unlocking value where conventional processing can not. We are the only platform that can refine both rare earth elements and battery minerals from primary and secondary sources, which is a strategic imperative for the Western World." The company produced 99.9% pure neodymium and praseodymium oxide from e-waste and magnet production waste, 99.5% pure dysprosium from magnet production waste and 99.5% pure yttrium from mined feedstock. Notably, there is no commercially viable substitute for dysprosium in high-performance permanent magnets used in fighter jets, guided munitions, advanced radars, automotive drive systems and medical imaging equipment. In turn, neodymium and praseodymium is the backbone of permanent magnets powering defence systems, robotics, electric vehicles and physical AI hardware. Yttrium is used in high-performance alloys, medical imaging devices, LED lighting and next-generation defence electronics. The US currently depends on China for more than 80% of these materials. Attaining more than 99.5% purity for heavy rare earths such as dysprosium and yttrium from diverse feedstocks used to be something only large, centralised Chinese processing operations can do. Now, through its MSX platform, Momentum Technologies has demonstrated that this can be done using a smaller, modular system built in the US, using everything from secondary waste streams to primary mined materials. Konduru points out that Momentum Technologies' MSX technology costs less to build and run than conventional methods, with growth possible simply by adding more modular units. MSX eliminates the need for costly, time-consuming processes that are associated with conventional processing of rare earths. The company is working to advance a commercial-scale rare earths refining project pipeline targeting primary and secondary feedstocks, with planned capacities ranging from 100 t/y to 1 000 t/y.