Hydrogen-based recycling of rare-earth magnets
Recover magnets from motors, hard drives and wind turbines, and turn them into reusable powder with hydrogen.
Sources checked on 24 October 2026
Summary Free
A University of Birmingham process (HPMS) turns old neodymium-iron-boron magnets directly into powder using hydrogen. HyProMag produced its first commercial-scale recycled alloys at Tyseley (UK) in June 2025, then opened a plant in Pforzheim (Germany) in April 2026. Since April 2025 China has controlled exports of several rare earths and magnets, and some European car plants had to stop. The idea: a regional unit that collects used magnets (e-waste, vehicles, industrial motors), extracts them and prepares them for European recyclers and magnet makers.
The technology
Hydrogen penetrates the magnet and breaks it into powder, even while still inside a part (hard drive, rotor). The powder is separated, then pressed and sintered into new magnets, without going back through chemical rare-earth extraction.
New sector and target customers
E-waste recyclers, vehicle dismantlers, wind farm operators, electric motor and magnet makers.
Main source
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy officially inaugurates the HyProMag plant in Pforzheim
HyProMag GmbH · April 2026
Verified competitors
HyProMag, Carester (Caremag), MagREEsource, Cyclic Materials
Opportunity window Free
Is now the right time to start? A score out of 100, based on 5 criteria.
- Technology maturity (TRL)
- Regulatory tailwind
- Open funding calls
- Competitor and investor activity
- Market timing
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How it is calculated
Each criterion is rated from 1 to 5, then weighted. Score = sum of weight × (rating − 1) / 4, rounded.
- Technology maturity (TRL) (weight 25): The closer the technology is to a product (high TRL), the higher the rating.
- Regulatory tailwind (weight 20): A law or standard that creates demand raises the rating; a long approval process lowers it.
- Open funding calls (weight 15): Number of open or upcoming calls with a deadline in the next 12 months (the idea's "Funding calls" list).
- Competitor and investor activity (weight 20): Competitors raising money show that investors believe in the field: the rating is high. Little activity: the rating is low.
- Market timing (weight 20): A recent signal (first customer, first plant, incident) showing that the market is moving now.
The 5 levels: Wide-open window (From 80) · Open window (From 65) · Medium window (From 50) · Narrow window (From 35) · Closed window (From 0)
Editorial assessment by DeepTechBusinessLab, not investment advice. Criteria marked “To be verified” rely on thin evidence.
Open funding calls and grants
5 funding call(s) match this idea. Next deadline: 4 November 2026 (in 5 days).
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Starter kit
Everything you need to get moving: a one-page pitch, real contacts and the pilot customers to target.
What the kit contains
- One-page pitch in French and English (problem, solution, technology, market, business model, funding ask)
- 3 real contacts: labs, patent holders and organisations, with their official link
- 3 pilot customer profiles to approach
One-page pitch Project
Contacts and pilot customers Investor file
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Kit checked on 24 October 2026
The rest of the idea file
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Known technology limits Analysis
Market in detail Analysis
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And 9 more parts: Regulation, All sources, Step-by-step funding plan, EU grants and programmes, First steps, Useful contacts (public organisations), Competitors' investors, Risks and warning signs, Typical team
Analysis
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Market, competitors and regulation, with every source
- Sourced market (several studies, segments, Europe)
- Detailed competitors: products, funding, country
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Project
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- Everything in Analysis
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- Possible EU grants (checked with EUFundingRadar)
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- One-page pitch in French and English, printable
Investor file
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The Project, plus competitors' investors, risks and 6 months of updates
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Update history
Dated events that change how this idea reads, with their source.
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Idea file created
Independent information, not investment advice. TRL levels and budgets are estimates to be validated.
