Mkango Resources (LSE:MKA) has expanded its recycling operations through its subsidiary HyProMag, which has brought a second automated hard disk drive (HDD) pre-processing unit online in the UK. The new system is installed at HyProMag’s commercial-scale magnet recycling facility located at Tyseley Energy Park in Birmingham.
The unit, created in partnership with Spanish engineering company Inserma, is designed to rapidly dismantle hard drives by separating magnet and printed circuit board assemblies in roughly three seconds. Each machine is capable of handling more than 30,000 drives per week when operating on a single shift, enabling high-volume recovery of valuable materials from retired data storage equipment.
Magnets recovered from the drives will be processed using HyProMag’s proprietary Hydrogen Processing of Magnet Scrap (HPMS) technology, which extracts rare earth elements from end-of-life magnets. Meanwhile, the printed circuit boards removed during the process will be sold for precious metals recovery. The approach provides a cost-efficient and environmentally responsible method of recovering critical materials from decommissioned data-centre hardware.
Mkango plans to replicate the technology beyond the UK, with potential deployments in Germany, the United States and large-scale data centres worldwide. By expanding this automated processing capability, the company and its partners aim to secure additional sources of rare earth materials, reinforce their role in the magnet recycling supply chain, and help lower both costs and emissions associated with secure data destruction.
More about Mkango Resources
Mkango Resources is a rare earths company listed on both AIM and the TSX Venture Exchange. Through its Maginito subsidiary, the company is building an integrated business focused on recycled rare earth magnets, alloys and oxides, including the HyProMag recycling operations in the UK, Germany and the United States. Alongside recycling initiatives, Mkango is advancing primary rare earth production via the Songwe Hill project in Malawi and the Pulawy rare earth separation facility in Poland. Both developments have been designated Strategic Projects under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act.
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