RECOVREE: Development of innovative “waste-to-value” technologies for sustainable rare earth recycling and high-value recycling of magnets
RECOVREE – Development of innovative “waste-to-value” technologies for sustainable rare earth recycling and high-value recycling of magnets
Duration: 1 April 2026 – 31 May 2029
Project acronym: RECOVREE
Project leader at Rudolfovo: Dr Nika Brili
Total project value: EUR 8 million
Rudolfovo co-funding: EUR 370,262
The project consortium is led by the Jožef Stefan Institute and includes the Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute, the University of Ljubljana – Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Rudolfovo, Magneti Ljubljana, Analitica, Matris, Iskra Pio, Surovina, Cinkarna Celje and INEA.
Funding: The programme is co-funded under the JR RR PROGRAMI public call (TRL 3–6).
Project description
RECOVREE – Development of innovative “waste-to-value” technologies for sustainable rare earth recycling and high-value recycling of magnets – is a research and development programme focused on developing a comprehensive and sustainable value chain for recycling rare-earth magnets.
The programme addresses the increasingly important challenge of securing critical raw materials for European industry. Its aim is to develop technologies that enable the efficient recovery of magnets from end-of-life products, their sorting, processing and reuse in new high-performance magnetic products. In this way, RECOVREE will contribute to more efficient use of resources, the circular economy and reduced dependence on primary raw materials.
Methodological approach
The programme integrates various technological steps – from the disassembly and AI-supported characterisation of waste magnets to their processing, rare-earth recovery and the production of new magnetic materials. The technologies developed will gradually advance from laboratory validation at TRL 3–4 to demonstration in a pilot or industrially relevant environment at TRL 5–6.
Digital technologies also play an important role. Rudolfovo will contribute its research expertise primarily in the fields of virtual twins and extended reality (XR). In cooperation with Iskra Pio, it will develop solutions for the digital simulation and optimisation of processes, supporting technology development and the transition to a pilot production environment.
Key objectives and results
The programme’s key objective is to develop and demonstrate an integrated value chain that transforms waste magnets into new materials and high-performance magnetic products with high added value. Planned results include new methods for the recovery and sorting of waste magnets, advanced rare-earth recycling and processing technologies, and pilot solutions for magnet remanufacturing.
One of the important results to which Rudolfovo will contribute will be a process optimisation platform using a virtual twin and XR technologies. These digital tools will enable process simulation and optimisation and support the transition from research solutions to larger-scale production.
Social and regional significance
RECOVREE contributes to the green and digital transition, the circular economy and greater European strategic autonomy in the supply of critical raw materials. The development of more efficient recycling technologies can reduce the need for primary extraction of rare earth elements and the associated environmental impacts, while also creating opportunities for the development of new technologies, products and high-value-added jobs.
For Rudolfovo, the programme also has strong regional significance, as it connects the centre’s research expertise with the industrial environment of south-eastern Slovenia. Cooperation with Iskra Pio from Šentjernej on the development of virtual twin and XR solutions is a concrete example of transferring advanced digital technologies to industry and strengthening the region’s research and development capabilities.
