Summer School on Critical Raw Materials and Magnet Recycling

On May 6th, N9VE participated in the ReMag Summer School on Permanent Magnet Recycling and Critical Raw Materials, held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and hosted by the National Institute of Chemistry (NIC). The event brought together researchers, industry partners, and EU-funded projects to explore innovative solutions for recovering critical raw materials essential for Europe’s green and digital transition.

The programme presented recent advances in recycling technologies for rare earth magnets, spent batteries, and industrial waste, including hydrogen-based processing, plasma technologies, hydrometallurgy, and bioleaching approaches.

N9VE contributed through presentations by José Pinheiro-Torres and Bruna Silva, who highlighted the ReMag project and the recovery of rare earth elements (Nd, Pr, Dy) from end-of-life wind turbine magnets, emphasizing their importance for more circular and resilient European supply chains.

Industrial partners including ENERCON, Galp, and Magneti Ljubljana shared practical insights on the challenges of scaling recycling technologies and achieving the targets of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act. The event concluded with discussions emphasizing the need for stronger integration across Europe’s innovation ecosystem and continued investment in enabling technologies and infrastructure.

The Summer School reinforced the importance of collaboration between academia, industry, and research institutions in advancing sustainable solutions for critical raw materials and strengthening Europe’s resource security.