Taiwan develops rare earth metal recycling — Taipei Times
Taiwan plans to develop the recycling and purification of rare earth metals to reduce industry dependence on China’s supply chain. Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin announced in February the launch of a pilot production line within three years. The authorities have also set a goal of producing domestically by 2030 half of the expected annual demand for rare earth materials, which amounts to about 2,000 tonnes.
Recycling technologies
Researchers at National Cheng Kung University worked with magnets from scrapped electric vehicle motors provided by a local recycler. In a 2022 paper, they described the selective separation of dysprosium from neodymium and praseodymium. At the same time, the authors noted the need for further multistage processing and regeneration of the extraction liquid.
As Taipei Times reports, the Industrial Technology Research Institute said it could obtain rare earth element oxides and metals with a purity of 99.9% from resources in which their content is approximately 5%. The institute also developed a neodymium-iron-boron alloy and tested materials together with companies and universities. The technologies still need to demonstrate consistent product quality, environmental performance and an acceptable cost under continuous production.
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Raw materials and economics
UWin Nanotech Vice President Leo Chang said that Taiwan’s main constraints are not so much technical capabilities as the availability of raw materials and economic feasibility. In his view, it is worth starting with concentrated and valuable waste, including spent permanent magnets. Extracting rare earth elements from diverse electronic waste, he said, requires significant spending on collection and dismantling.
According to the International Energy Agency, China accounted for 91% of refined rare earth element production for magnets and 94% of sintered permanent magnet production in 2024. Taiwanese authorities are also assessing potential sources of primary raw materials in the United States, Australia and Canada. This involves studying resources rather than confirmed supplies.
Taiwan already has magnet manufacturers that could become potential buyers of local products if they meet their specifications. An industrial launch also requires sufficient volumes, consistent quality, an acceptable price and contracts with buyers.
