Solvay Viridis Rare Earth Supply Deal Strengthens Europe’s Magnet Materials Chain

Solvay

Solvay Viridis rare earth supply agreement will give the Belgian chemicals producer a new long-term feedstock source for its La Rochelle processing plant in France. The deal will begin in 2028 and cover material from Viridis Mining and Minerals’ Colossus project in Brazil.

Solvay Viridis rare earth supply is strategically important because the feedstock includes neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium, all critical to high-performance permanent magnets. The agreement also covers samarium, gadolinium and yttrium.

Solvay Viridis rare earth supply strengthens Europe’s effort to build a more complete rare earth value chain outside China. Solvay will process the Brazilian feedstock into high-purity rare earth oxides at La Rochelle.

The deal links upstream resources in Brazil with European separation and downstream magnet customers, creating a more diversified industrial route for strategic materials.

Colossus Feedstock Supports European Rare Earth Processing

Viridis is developing the Colossus ionic adsorption clay project in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The project has a measured and indicated resource of 329mn t grading 659ppm magnetic rare earth oxide.

Ionic adsorption clay deposits are strategically important because they can contain valuable heavy rare earths alongside light rare earths. Dysprosium and terbium are particularly important for high-temperature permanent magnet applications.

Solvay’s La Rochelle plant gives Europe an established processing base for converting these materials into high-purity oxides. That processing stage remains one of the biggest bottlenecks outside China.

The inclusion of samarium, gadolinium and yttrium also broadens the commercial value of the supply agreement. These elements serve applications across magnets, aerospace, electronics, energy and advanced materials.

For Viridis, the agreement provides a downstream route into a major European processor. For Solvay, it strengthens feedstock diversification and reduces reliance on a narrower group of suppliers.

La Rochelle Builds Links to Magnet Manufacturing

Solvay inaugurated the La Rochelle facility in April 2025 with the goal of supplying 30% of European rare earth demand by 2030. Securing feedstock is essential if the plant is to reach that scale.

The company has already built a downstream customer relationship with US magnet producer Noveon Magnetics. Solvay agreed in November 2025 to begin supplying Noveon with rare earth oxides from 2026.

This creates a clearer value chain from mineral resource to separated oxide and then to permanent magnet production. That integration is critical for customers seeking reliable non-China materials.

Europe’s rare earth strategy increasingly depends on exactly this type of linkage. Mining projects alone cannot solve supply risk unless they connect with separation, metallization, alloying and magnet manufacturing.

The Viridis agreement therefore strengthens La Rochelle’s role as a processing hub. If Colossus advances successfully, Brazilian feedstock could become an important part of Europe’s diversified magnet materials supply.

The Metalnomist Commentary

The Solvay-Viridis deal shows that Europe’s rare earth strategy is moving from processing capacity toward feedstock security. La Rochelle’s long-term competitiveness will depend on securing diverse sources of NdPr and heavy rare earths that can consistently feed magnet customers.

Viridis Rare Earth Output Marks First Step Toward Brazil Magnet Materials Supply

mixed rare earth carbonate

Viridis rare earth output from its Poços de Caldas demonstration plant marks an important milestone for Brazil’s emerging role in non-China rare earth supply. Australia-based Viridis Mining and Minerals has produced its first batch of high-grade mixed rare earth carbonate in Minas Gerais.

Viridis rare earth output comes from a newly commissioned demonstration plant that processes 100 kg/hr of ionic clay feedstock. The product includes magnet-related rare earths such as neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium.

Viridis rare earth output is strategically important because mixed rare earth carbonate is an intermediate product that can feed separation, oxide refining and eventually permanent magnet supply chains. The achievement moves the Colossus project from resource potential into early process validation.

The company has sent samples to the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation for qualification. It is still in discussions with potential offtake partners for its mixed rare earth carbonate.

Colossus Ionic Clay Project Gains Processing Momentum

The demonstration plant draws feedstock from the northern concession pits of Viridis’ nearby Colossus ionic clay project. Colossus contains a 200mn t reserve grading 2,640ppm total rare earth oxides.

That resource base gives the project strategic relevance. Ionic clay rare earth deposits can be important because they may contain valuable heavy rare earths used in high-performance magnets.

The presence of dysprosium and terbium matters especially. These heavy rare earths improve magnet performance under heat and stress, making them important for electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics, aerospace and defence systems.

Viridis plans to build a commercial-scale plant at Colossus and is targeting first production in 2028. But the company has not yet confirmed a construction timeline.

Financing support is building around the project. Colossus has received A$50mn in loans from Export Finance Australia, along with funding commitments from Brazilian public finance institutions.

The project has also received a $100mn letter of interest from Export Development Canada and support from French export credit agency Bpifrance Assurance Export. This shows that allied governments are willing to support rare earth projects outside China.

Brazil Builds a Broader Rare Earth Processing Platform

Viridis is not only developing Colossus as a mining project. It is also planning rare earth oxide refining and magnet recycling capacity at the same Poços de Caldas location through a joint venture with Ionic Rare Earths.

That integrated approach matters. Rare earth supply chains need more than mining and carbonate production. They require refining, separation, recycling, metal-making, alloying and magnet qualification.

Brazil could become more important if it can connect resource development with processing and downstream material production. The country already has mineral potential, but the value will depend on building customer-ready products.

The Poços de Caldas site could therefore become a rare earth materials hub if the demonstration work, qualification process and future commercial plant progress as planned.

For magnet users, Brazil offers a potential alternative source of rare earth intermediates at a time when China still dominates processing and permanent magnet supply.

The next challenge is commercialisation. Viridis must qualify its product, secure offtake partners, complete project financing and prove that Colossus can scale from demonstration output to reliable industrial supply.

The Metalnomist Commentary

Viridis’ first rare earth output is small in volume but important in direction. Brazil’s rare earth opportunity will depend on whether projects like Colossus can move beyond resource statements into qualified carbonate, refined oxides and magnet-ready supply.

IonicRE Rare Earth Oxide Supply to AML Advances US Defence Magnet Chain

Ionic Rare Earth

IonicRE rare earth oxide supply to Advanced Magnet Lab marks a small but strategic step in building a non-China supply route for defence-grade permanent magnets. The Australian rare earths miner, refiner and recycler has started shipping high-purity rare earth oxides from its Belfast recycling facility to the US magnet producer.

IonicRE rare earth oxide supply currently involves kilogram-scale volumes of neodymium, praseodymium and dysprosium oxides. The material has 99.5-99.9% purity and will be used by AML to produce high-grade sintered neodymium-iron-boron magnets for US defence customers.

IonicRE rare earth oxide supply is important because magnet qualification starts with small, tightly controlled shipments. These early volumes help validate chemistry, process compatibility and performance before larger commercial deliveries begin.

The companies are already discussing a second sale of neodymium and dysprosium. They have also signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding for longer-term cooperation, with future commercial volumes likely to reach tonnes in 2027.

Belfast Recycling Turns Magnet Scrap Into Strategic Feedstock

IonicRE’s Belfast facility currently has 10 t/yr of rare earth recycling capacity. While modest, it gives western magnet producers a practical source of recycled rare earth oxides from end-of-life and industrial magnet scrap.

The supply chain includes used NdFeB magnet feedstock from German manufacturer Vacuumschmelze and scrap handler European Metal Recycling. IonicRE also has offtake relationships with automotive companies including Ford, Bentley and Wrightbus.

This structure matters because rare earth recycling can shorten supply chains and improve traceability. It also reduces dependence on newly mined material at a time when rare earth separation and magnet production remain highly concentrated in China.

The company’s planned additional Belfast facility received £12mn from the UK government in January. That plant is expected to produce 400 t/yr of light rare earths neodymium-praseodymium, as well as heavy rare earths dysprosium and terbium, by the first half of 2028.

Dysprosium is particularly important for defence magnets because it helps maintain magnetic performance under heat and stress. That makes recycled heavy rare earth recovery strategically valuable, even at relatively small volumes.

AML Link Connects Recycling to Defence Magnet Production

AML will use IonicRE’s oxides to produce high-grade sintered NdFeB magnets for defence applications. This connects recycled rare earth feedstock directly to one of the most sensitive parts of the US critical minerals supply chain.

The US is trying to secure rare earth permanent magnet supply outside China after Beijing imposed export controls on rare earth permanent magnets in April 2025. China controls about 90% of the supply chain, leaving US defence and industrial users exposed to licensing risk.

IonicRE brings a wider rare earth platform to the partnership. The company owns 60% of Uganda’s Makuutu rare earth project, holds a 50% stake in a Brazilian rare earth refining joint venture with Viridis, and has signed an MoU with US Strategic Metals for a Missouri recycling facility.

That portfolio gives IonicRE several possible feedstock and processing routes. But the AML shipment is important because it moves from strategy into physical supply.

The key challenge now is scale. Kilogram shipments can support qualification, but defence and industrial magnet markets will need repeatable tonne-scale supply, consistent purity and reliable delivery.

If IonicRE and AML can move from pilot volumes to commercial supply, the partnership could become a useful building block in the US rare earth magnet chain. It would also show how recycling can complement mining and refining in reducing China exposure.

The Metalnomist Commentary

This shipment is small in volume but large in strategic meaning. Non-China rare earth supply chains will be built through qualification steps like this, where recycled oxides prove they can become defence-grade magnets.

IonicRE Rare Earth Recycling Deal Targets Ex-China Magnet Supply Gap

Ionic rare earths

IonicRE rare earth recycling plans have gained a technology boost after the Australian rare earths miner, refiner and recycler signed a licensing agreement with US refiner Nth Cycle. The deal gives Ionic Rare Earths access to electro-extraction technology for its US and global recycling operations.

IonicRE rare earth recycling will focus on recovering rare earth oxides from neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnet dust. These oxides can then be reused in the production of new rare earth magnets.

IonicRE rare earth recycling is strategically important because magnet supply chains outside China remain weak in midstream processing and recycling. The agreement helps address that gap by adding technology that can convert magnet waste into reusable rare earth oxide products.

Nth Cycle’s technology can break down NdFeB magnet dust into rare earth oxides. This supports circular supply chains for materials used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics, defence systems and advanced electronics.

NdFeB Magnet Dust Becomes a Strategic Feedstock

NdFeB magnet recycling is becoming more important as demand for rare earth permanent magnets grows. Magnet production generates upstream and downstream dust, and that material contains valuable neodymium, praseodymium and heavy rare earth elements.

IonicRE already has proprietary technology for recycling REPM metal dust. Nth Cycle’s electro-extraction process adds another capability and fills a specific midstream gap in the ex-China recycling chain.

The technology could be used at IonicRE’s Belfast recycling facility in Northern Ireland. It may also support the company’s 50:50 joint venture with Viridis at a planned recycling facility in Brazil.

The US is another important target. IonicRE already supplies technology to US Strategic Metals’ Missouri recycling facility, which is expected to recover neodymium-praseodymium oxide and heavy rare earths including dysprosium, terbium, samarium, gadolinium and holmium.

This matters because recycling can reduce dependence on mined supply and improve traceability. It can also create shorter, more secure material loops for magnet makers and industrial users.

Recycling Adds Depth to Ex-China Rare Earth Supply

IonicRE remains a small player in the global rare earth chain, but its strategy connects mining, refining and recycling. The company owns 60% of the Makuutu rare earth project in Uganda, which contains 617mn t of ore grading 630ppm total rare earth oxide.

The recycling technology agreement adds another route to supply. Rather than relying only on new mined material, IonicRE can target waste streams from magnet production and end-use supply chains.

This is important because China still dominates rare earth refining. China accounted for 91% of global rare earth refining in 2024, leaving western and allied supply chains exposed to processing concentration.

Recycling will not replace primary rare earth mining. But it can provide incremental supply, improve resilience and help build processing expertise outside China.

The real value lies in integration. Recovered rare earth oxides must be refined, qualified, converted into metals or alloys, and returned to magnet production.

IonicRE’s agreement with Nth Cycle therefore supports a wider strategic goal. It helps build the technical infrastructure needed for a circular rare earth magnet supply chain outside China.

The Metalnomist Commentary

IonicRE’s licensing deal shows that rare earth recycling is moving from sustainability language into supply-chain strategy. The key opportunity is not only recovering magnet waste, but turning it into qualified oxide feedstock that can support non-China magnet production.

Australia backs Viridis Brazilian rare earth project with $50mn EFA debt support

Colossus rare earth project

Australia backs Viridis Brazilian rare earth project as Export Finance Australia prepares a $50mn debt facility. Australia backs Viridis Brazilian rare earth project through a conditional support letter tied to due diligence and approvals. As a result, Australia backs Viridis Brazilian rare earth project alongside French, Canadian, and Brazilian state-backed financiers.

Export credit support widens funding options ahead of a 2026 FID

Australia backs Viridis Brazilian rare earth project at a critical point in its capital stack planning. EFA’s support is non-binding and depends on using some Australian goods and services. However, the signal matters because export credit agencies often anchor later debt syndication.

Viridis targets a final investment decision in the second half of 2026. Meanwhile, the project already drew interest from export agencies in Canada and France. Therefore, Colossus is building a multi-jurisdiction financing base before formal commitments lock in.

Colossus targets magnet rare earths from ionic clay deposits

Australia backs Viridis Brazilian rare earth project that plans to mine neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium. These elements sit at the core of permanent magnets for EVs, wind turbines, and defense systems. As a result, Colossus aligns with global efforts to diversify rare earth supply chains.

Viridis also upgraded its Colossus ore reserve estimate in 2025. The company lifted the reserve figure from 98.5mn tonnes to 200mn tonnes. However, the market will still focus on recoveries, product quality, and consistent operating costs.

Downstream plans add strategic value beyond mining

Australia backs Viridis Brazilian rare earth project with a pathway into refining and recycling. Viridis plans a Brazilian rare earth refinery and a magnet recycling plant with Ionic Rare Earths. Meanwhile, Viridis intends to supply rare earth carbonates from Colossus into that refinery.

This integration could strengthen offtake discussions with magnet and alloy buyers. However, downstream execution adds complexity, including permitting, qualification, and technology scale-up. Therefore, investors will watch whether Viridis stages development to avoid bottlenecks.

The Metalnomist Commentary

Export-credit momentum helps, but Colossus still needs a bankable execution plan for ionic clay processing. However, the mine-to-refinery link can improve strategic relevance if product specs meet magnet supply requirements. The next inflection point will be binding debt terms and credible downstream timelines.

IonicRE USSM Magnet Recycling Partnership Targets High-Purity Rare Earth Oxides

IonicRE

The IonicRE USSM magnet recycling partnership aims to produce high-purity rare earth oxides from recycled magnets in the US. The IonicRE USSM magnet recycling partnership will recover NdPr and multiple heavy rare earths from end-of-life materials. This IonicRE USSM magnet recycling partnership strengthens circular supply chains for critical minerals used in electric vehicles and advanced electronics.

Technology-driven rare earth recovery in Missouri

US Strategic Metals will operate a Missouri recycling facility that focuses on rare earth extraction from discarded magnets. The plant will recover neodymium–praseodymium oxide plus heavy rare earths like dysprosium and terbium. It will also produce samarium, gadolinium and holmium oxides, which are vital for high-performance permanent magnets.

Ionic Rare Earths will provide the core recycling technology through its UK arm, Ionic Technologies. This technology will allow USSM to produce separated rare earth oxides with purities above 99.5pc. As a result, the project targets magnet-grade products that can directly serve automotive, wind and electronics manufacturers.

Building a rare earth circular economy across three continents

IonicRE already holds a 60pc stake in the Makuutu rare earths project in Uganda. That asset provides a potential primary feedstock base for future value chains. Meanwhile, its joint venture in Brazil with Viridis Mining and Minerals adds refinery and magnet recycling capacity.

Together, these projects position IonicRE across mining, refining and recycling in Africa, South America and now North America. This diversified footprint reduces reliance on single-country supply for key elements like NdPr, dysprosium and terbium. Therefore, the new US partnership helps align resource security with circular economy goals in the rare earth sector.

The Metalnomist Commentary

This deal underlines how magnet recycling is moving from pilot scale to commercially relevant volumes in North America. By combining IonicRE’s technology with USSM’s facility, the partnership could become a template for regional rare earth circularity. The broader footprint across Uganda, Brazil and the US also shows how mid-tier players can stitch together multi-continent supply chains outside China.

Viridis Doubles Brazil Rare Earths Estimate, Extending Colossus Mine Life

Viridis Mining and Minerals

Viridis doubles Brazil rare earths estimate to 200mn tonnes at the Colossus Project. Viridis doubles Brazil rare earths estimate by converting measured and indicated resources. Therefore, Viridis doubles Brazil rare earths estimate and signals a potential 40-year operating horizon. The ionic adsorption clay deposit in Minas Gerais averages 2,640ppm TREO with 740ppm MREO. The mine plan prioritizes NdPr, dysprosium, and terbium to maximize basket value.

Reserve scale, grade mix, and pricing assumptions

Viridis increased reserves to 200mn tonnes, up from 98.5mn tonnes. The company derived the upgrade exclusively from higher-confidence categories. As a result, execution risk moderates ahead of financing. The deposit’s 2,640ppm TREO includes 740ppm magnetic oxides. Meanwhile, pricing assumptions anchor economics at $90/kg NdPr. Dysprosium uses $269/kg, and terbium uses $888/kg. These markers frame sensitivity for basket value and payback.

Throughput, carbonate output, and offtake progress

The Colossus Project targets 5mnt per year of ore. Management expects 10,000–12,000t per year of mixed rare earth carbonate. Consequently, scale supports multi-year offtake programs. Viridis advances discussions on offtake with strategic buyers. Therefore, downstream partners can align on NdPr and heavy magnet needs. The firm continues technical work toward a final investment decision.

The Metalnomist Commentary

Ionic clay deposits can deliver low-acid, short-cycle production, yet metallurgy matters. Pay close attention to impurity control, reagent recycling, and heavy rare earth recoveries. Offtake structure and processing route selection will define long-term margins.

Viridion Considers US Rare Earth Refinery to Boost Supply Chains

Viridion

Viridion Evaluates Refining Expansion in US and Brazil

Brazilian rare earth producer Viridion is weighing the construction of a rare earth refinery in the United States alongside a magnet refining and recycling facility in Brazil. Viridion is a joint venture between Australia’s Viridis Mining and Minerals and Ionic Rare Earths (IonicRE). The initiative follows recent funding support under Brazil’s $1.4bn Strategic Minerals Transformation Initiative, led by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development.

An internal study suggested that a proposed US refinery in Tennessee could produce 4,000 t/yr of separated rare earth oxides (REOs). The project would leverage proximity to potential partners while securing downstream processing capacity for non-Chinese supply chains.

US Refinery to Process Feed from Uganda’s Makuutu Project

The proposed Tennessee facility would process mixed rare earth carbonate (MREC) from IonicRE’s 60pc-owned Makuutu Rare Earth Project in Uganda. The Makuutu project stands out for its 45pc medium and heavy rare earths content, one of the highest reported concentrations globally. These elements, including dysprosium and terbium, are critical for permanent magnets in clean energy and defense industries.

Meanwhile, Viridion continues to advance recycling initiatives in Brazil. In May, the company delivered its first batch of recycled magnet REOs to local partners. Discussions are ongoing for pilot plant sites that could scale into full refineries and recycling hubs.

The Metalnomist Commentary

Viridion’s dual focus on US refining and Brazilian recycling underscores the geopolitical urgency of rare earth diversification. If realized, the Tennessee facility could reduce Western reliance on Chinese separation capacity, while Brazil positions itself as a recycling hub. Success will depend on financing, permitting, and securing offtake agreements in both markets.