Cyclic Materials, an advanced recycling company building a circular supply chain for rare earth elements (REEs), announced a $25 million investment to launch North America’s first Centre of Excellence for rare earth recycling in Kingston, Ontario, which will result in 45 new skilled jobs in the region.
Spanning 140,000+ square feet, the first-of-its-kind facility will serve as Cyclic’s industrial and innovation backbone, combining full-scale commercial processing and cutting-edge research and development (R&D) to address one of the world’s biggest supply chain challenges: the resilient sourcing of rare earth elements for use in permanent magnets.
The Kingston Centre of Excellence will house Cyclic Materials’ first commercial Hub processing unit, utilizing the company’s proprietary REEPureSM technology. This facility was designed to convert 500 tonnes of magnet-rich feedstock annually into recycled Mixed Rare Earth Oxide (rMREO), a product containing crucial components for permanent magnets used in electric vehicle (EV) motors, wind turbines, and consumer electronics, such as Neodymium, Praseodymium, Terbium, and Dysprosium. The feedstock for this facility will be sourced from both Cyclic’s Arizona-based Spoke where end-of-life products will be processed, as well as a growing network of partners supplying magnet scrap from production.
With operations set to start in Q1 2026, rMREO from this facility will supply key partners within the magnet value chain, like Solvay, with whom Cyclic Materials signed an offtake agreement in 2024, providing a secondary resource of critical rare earth elements.
The site will also house a state-of-the-art R&D center, including advanced labs and a mini-Spoke line, to accelerate process optimization and scale next-generation technologies across the rare earth value chain.
The Centre of Excellence will build on robust partnerships with Queen’s University, Kingston Process Metallurgy (KPM), RXN Hub, and Impact Chemistry, and support from national innovation programs including CMRDD (Critical Minerals Research, Development and Demonstration) from Natural Resources Canada, Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), and the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP).
This facility is expected to create over 45 highly qualified new jobs, with more than 20 hires already onboard. And recruitment has already started with key roles for plant operators, process technicians, and innovation staff.
With alliances including Solvay, Glencore, Lime, and Sims Lifecycle Solutions, the company is building a resilient, sustainable, and circular ecosystem for rare earth magnets, supporting the electrification of industries and the secure supply of critical materials.
KEY QUOTES:
“With this Centre of Excellence, we’re advancing our core mission: to secure the most critical elements of the energy transition through circular innovation. Kingston is where Cyclic began—and now it’s where we’re anchoring our commercial future.”
Ahmad Ghahreman, CEO of Cyclic Materials
“We are thrilled to see Cyclic Materials’ significant investment to establish their Centre of Excellence and Hub in Kingston, Ontario. This announcement not only creates high-quality jobs in the community but is a reflection of the expertise, talent, and supportive ecosystem Kingston has to offer companies. We are proud to support Cyclic Materials’ efforts to create a circular supply chain addressing Canada’s critical minerals and rare earth elements.”
Shelley Hirstwood, Director of Business Development at Kingston Economic Development Corporation
