MMTA member Less Common Metals, a British producer of rare earth magnetic alloys, has had a busy year. The MMTA caught up with LCM general manager Aaron Riley to ask about the company’s current projects and plans.
Metal making cell wall
© LCM
MMTA: LCM is located in the UK and at the centre of the complex and geographically challenging supply chain for rare earth magnetic materials. What are the challenges and opportunities for the company of this unique position?
AR: LCM is situated in the midstream and is a crucial link to the overall supply chain of permanent magnets. The challenges in which the company faces are in the complexity of building an alternative supply chain and the need to be cost competitive.
Companies acknowledge the need for an alternative supply chain, but the question is, are they willing to pay the premium? UK Government support is lacking compared to other countries, but we are actively collaborating with governmental parties to influence key decisions.
There are however many opportunities which present them-selves to LCM being the only commercial facility outside of China and not Chinese-owned producing neodymium (Nd) metal and neodymium praseodymium (NdPr) master alloy by molten salt electrolysis. With the samarium cobalt (SmCo) alloy production side, LCM is the only company worldwide operating the co-reduction process. The company commercially produces both Nd and NdPr metal via fused salt elec-trolysis, and all material manufactured since 2017 is pro-cessed using alternative supply chain material.
In addition, we are expanding our current Nd/ NdPr metal production from a 2-cell operation to 6 cells in the UK. This is an approximate increase from 55t per cell/ per annum to a total capacity of 330t per annum as and when the demand increases. Of course, environmental social governance (ESG) is an important factor for the company, thus all activities are permitted and well within Western World requirements.
MMTA: Last year, LCM launched terbium and ferro-dysprosium production streams. Where is the company now in terms of production capabilities, raw material supply and customer demand for these products?
AR: We have installed two furnaces for the processing of dysprosium (Dy) and terbium (Tb) aiming to meet the specific requirements of our key customers and we are prepared to scale up production in response to demand. LCM decided to expand metal making capabilities to include Dy and Tb because these are classed as heavy rare earths (HRE) and hold significant value. They are vital in various applications such as in the form of high-strength permanent magnets for EV motors, wind turbines, military and defence applications. We have seen a rise in demand for these products.
MMTA: What speciality alloys is LCM offering at this time, how are they important to modern technologies, and what is in now development or being planned for the future?
AR: LCM has the capability to produce and process over 100 specialty alloys, providing customers with extensive flexibility for their research and development endeavours. In addition to facilitating R&D, LCM’s newly bolstered technical department is readily available to support creating your vision. Specialty alloys find utility across diverse industries, with a recent surge in demand observed in hydrogen storage applications.
MMTA: In September 2023, LCM partnered with Ionic Technologies and automaker Ford to develop a demonstration circular supply chain for rare earth elements in the UK enabling production of high specification magnets for electric vehicles using 100% recycled REE. Where is this project now and what needs to be done next?
AR: As of now, everything is on track to be completed by June 2025. We’ve made significant strides in developing a demonstration circular supply chain for rare earth elements in the UK, the next steps involve fine-tuning the processes.
MMTA: At the same time, LCM also signed a strategic agree-ment with Rainbow Rare Earths for supply of separated oxides of rare earths (NdPr, Dy, Tb) from its Phalaborwa project in South Africa to LCM. How significant is this for the LCM supply chain, and have there been any further developments on this or other partnerships?
AR: This collaboration enhances our access to critical rare earth elements, thereby strengthening our capabilities in meeting the demands of our customers.
Regarding further developments, we’re actively engaged in discussions with other potential partners to explore addition-al opportunities for collaboration. We’re open to discussions from other parties and are continually evaluating various raw material supply options to optimise our supply chain and enhance our product offerings. We’re excited about the potential of these partnerships, and we look forward to sharing updates as they unfold.
MMTA: LCM is sponsoring a piece of PhD research into hydrogen storage materials. Can you tell us more about your research programme sponsorship, and the challenges and opportunities of potential market for rare earth alloys?
AR: The market for solid state metal hydrides is in the early development stages, therefore it is hard to comment on it in detail, however it is interesting to note that hydrogen storage alloys can absorb 1000 times their volume in hydrogen.
LCM is committed to advancing green energy initiatives and is proud to sponsor a PhD student from Nottingham University. This student is dedicated to researching sustainable hydro-gen alloys, thus contributing to the progression of hydrogen storage materials.
MMTA: What are LCM’s ambitions and plans for the future?
AR: By forging strategic partnerships with other companies, research institutions, and governmental bodies, and utilising our experience and technical expertise to enhance our prod-ucts and processes, we aim to become more cost competi-tive and supply better products. Collaboration brings exper-tise, risk mitigation, market expansion, and boosts innovation, while securing committed offtake agreements fosters long-term customer relationships and alternative supply chains, ensuring a reliable flow of rare earth elements for LCM.
MMTA: Among recommendations made recently, the UK government’s Task & Finish Group lists developing the UK’s mid-stream economy, long-term supply resilience for criti-cal minerals and circular economy. What steps are important for the UK now to achieve this, and how can LCM help?
AR: There are several steps which can be taken, for example, investing in infrastructure and technology is crucial to strengthen the mid-stream economy. Diversifying supply chains and supporting domestic production can enhance supply resilience. Additionally, promoting resource efficiency and circularity through sustainable practices and policies is essential for a sustainable circular economy.
LCM can contribute to these efforts by investing in research and development, optimising supply chains, and supporting sustainability initiatives.
MMTA: Supporting UK skills and innovation development is another recommendation by the Task and Finish Group to the UK industry. What is needed in this area, and how else is LCM supporting this?
AR: We value education and support learners of all ages through a number of channels. As well as part-funding PhDs, LCM has teamed up with a local science museum to produce interactive school workshops which take place in primary schools in the North West (ages 11 – 12) to teach them about the entire rare earth supply chain for electric vehicles.
This has been delivered to 1,500 children, and this year we have another 1,500 children in the pipeline. We also contribute to STEM days, career talks in local colleges and supporting documents to influence UK Government such as Critical Mineral Association’s “Building a Talent Pipeline”.
There is a disconnected society when it comes to mining and manufacturing for end applications such as electric vehicles and wind turbines which is where we see importance especially with generations to come whom will be in a world sur-rounded by renewable technologies and in jobs which have never been done before.
MMTA: There has been a growing recognition of benefits of international collaboration in research and in building supply chains in critical raw materials. The UK has rejoined the Euro-pean Union’s Horizon 2020 programme that has previously funded the SUSMGPRO project in which LCM participated. Do you see a wider international collaboration emerging in the rare earths research and circular supply chain?
AR: In summary, yes, it’s possible, provided we coordinate our efforts. The goal is clear: establishing an alternative supply chain. However, with numerous companies involved, the rare earth sector is often likened to a ”race among friends”. While LCM collaborates with EU companies due to various ad-vantages, including access to EU funding, we’re also open to engaging with interested parties globally, as demonstrated by our recent delegation visit from Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Armenia.
