Solcoa metallizes neodymium‑praseodymium (NdPr) oxide directly into high‑purity, magnet‑ready rare earth metal, delivering a faster, cleaner, and cheaper process than traditional methods.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Western manufacturers of neodymium‑iron‑boron magnets rely on imports from China, and traditional rare‑earth extraction processes involve multiple high‑temperature steps that generate toxic waste, CO₂ emissions, and long lead times, creating supply‑security and environmental challenges.
Solution
Solcoa applies a proprietary chemistry to metallize neodymium‑praseodymium (NdPr) oxide directly into high‑purity, magnet‑ready rare‑earth metal in a single‑facility operation in Alameda, California. The process merges demagnetization and metal extraction into two unit operations that complete in under 24 hours, eliminating intermediate processing and reducing energy use. It accepts primary NdPr oxides as well as end‑of‑life EV, data‑center, wind‑turbine, and defense magnets, plus magnet swarf, converting them into usable metal without generating toxic waste or emissions. In‑line quality control ensures the metal meets magnet‑grade specifications before dispatch. By delivering a domestic, cost‑competitive supply at speeds far faster than conventional methods, Solcoa enhances supply‑chain resilience for magnet manufacturers.
Target Audience
Primary customers are manufacturers of neodymium‑iron‑boron magnets for electric vehicles, data‑center servers, wind turbines, and defense applications, as well as magnet producers seeking a domestic source of recycled rare‑earth metal.
Features
- Direct metallization of primary NdPr oxide into magnet‑ready metal, bypassing traditional multi‑step reduction
- Processing of scrap magnets and rare‑earth‑rich swarf as secondary feedstocks, feeding straight into the metallization line
- Two‑step unit operation (demagnetization and metal extraction) completed within 24 hours
- Zero toxic waste generation and zero greenhouse‑gas emissions throughout the process
- On‑site quality‑control testing and immediate dispatch of high‑purity metal to customers
- Single‑facility, American‑based production that competes on cost with imported Chinese material