Page 158 - CW E-Magazine (22-7-2025)

News from Abroad News from Abroad

PROJECT PROGRESS ‘New Exhibitor Zone’, designed to
Mkango Resources starts up UK’s fi rst recycled connect trade visitors with 21 sup-
pliers from Europe, the USA, and
rare-earth alloy plant Japan. The ‘Careers Clinic’ provided
career advice and job opportunities
for professionals across the chemical
Canada-based Mkango Resources sium/terbium) exceeding 28% and is sector.
Ltd. has announced the fi rst pro- analogous to a typical NdFeB alloy for
duction runs for the commercial-scale magnet manufacture, whilst having a The show’s comprehensive con-
Hydrogen Processing of Magnet Scrap minimal CO footprint relative to both ference programme included the new
2
(HPMS) vessel, which is currently primary and other recycled NdFeB ‘Insights Stage’ on important market latest developments in agrochemicals tated 2,065 pre-scheduled and attended
being commissioned by the University products. Initially sold to third parties developments, a panel on “Global and crop protection. meetings, refl ecting a 5% increase in
of Birmingham (UoB) with the support for long-loop chemical processing, this market drivers dominating the fi ne and targeted business connections. The new
of commercial partner, HyProMag Ltd., material will in future be used for speciality chemicals industry” and “A standout feature of the 2025 edi- visitor-led lead capturing feature ‘Col-
as part of the new scaled-up rare-earth magnet manufacture within HyProMag. the keynote on “Sustainable manu- tion was the signifi cant growth in digital leqt QR’ further enhanced networking
magnet recycling and manufacturing was developed by the Magnetic Mate- facturing of fi ne chemicals – challen- engagement, with digital connections opportunities throughout the event,”
plant located at Tyseley Energy Park rials Group (MMG) at the UoB, and is Following the commissioning of the ges and opportunities.” The ‘Agro- reaching 5,098 in total – representing the organisers said. Chemspec Europe
(TEP), Birmingham, UK. supported by approximately $100-mn plant’s downstream powder processing chemical Stage’ drew large audienc- a 32.5% increase year-on-year. The 2026 will take place on 6-7 May in
of research and development funds. plant (for HPMS powder sieving, blend- es on both show days, featuring the show’s matchmaking platform facili- Cologne, Germany.
This achievement represents the ing and jet milling), magnet manufactur-
return of sintered magnet manufactur- HyProMag is targeting UK sales of ing presses and sintering furnaces, tar- NEXT-GENERATION BIOMATERIALS
ing to the UK for the fi rst time in two around 0.5 tonnes per month of recy- geted by the end of Q3 2025, HyProMag
decades. Supported by funding from UK cled HPMS NdFeB product by the end will have access to capacity for produc- Evonik opens new medical device solutions centre
Research and Innovation, the Tyseley of July, increasing to a minimum of 2 tion of value-added magnets at scale –
plant is currently the only commercial- tonnes per month by the end of 2025, in enabling both customer qualifi cation and in Shanghai
scale facility in the UK dedicated to advance of potential expansion to 100- commercial sales of rare earth magnets,
producing rare earth sintered magnets. 350 tonnes per year in 2026 with fur- which will form an increasing proportion Germany’s Evonik has announced technologies, the centre converts Evonik’s
ther expansion options being evaluated. of the NdFeB product mix going forward. the opening of its largest centre for wide range of standard and custo-
The HPMS vessel is fundamental to medical device applications in Shanghai, mised biomaterials into various types
the plant, producing a high-grade, recy- HyProMag’s commercial opera- At present, the accelerated pilot serving the entire Asian market. This of semi-fi nished components. These
cled neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) tions will be underpinned by existing programme at the UoB is providing facility specialises in the research, components are designed with speci-
alloy powder for commercial sale or to NdFeB scrap inventories, ongoing pur- NdFeB powder, block and fi nished development, and processing of fi c properties, including bioresorbability,
feed downstream magnet manufactur- chases of NdFeB scrap, as well as pro- magnet samples to customers, to semi-fi nished components for bio- low-friction, antithrombotic and
ing. All major equipment for the plant duct off take, spot purchases and sales. support product marketing, off take resorbable medical devices. antibacterial characteristics. Medical
has been constructed on site and will The NdFeB product from HPMS has discussions and scale-up of planned device manufacturers can then further
be commissioned sequentially over the a total rare-earth content (neodymium/ operations in the UK, Germany and the The medical device applications process them to meet specifi c require-
coming months. The HPMS technology praseodymium together with dyspro- US as announced previously. market in Asia is expecting strong can help more customers across Asia ments for diverse applications in ortho-
growth in the coming years, includ- in reducing complexity, accelerating paedics, sports medicine, general surgery,
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS ing double-digit growth in China, as time to market, and improving medical cardiovascular care, neuro-surgery,
Chemspec Europe concludes in Cologne the demand for advanced medical care device performance,” said Yann urology, aesthetics, ophthalmology, and
dental care.
and high-value medical components d’Hervé, head of Evonik Health Care.
Chemspec Europe 2025, a leading markable adaptability – neither phased visitors from 62 nations, according to continues to rise. This trend is further
exhibition for fi ne and speciality chemi- by the ever-changing market landscape the show organisers. The majority of bolstered by governmental policies to The Shanghai centre off ers solu- “The innovation of high-end medical
cals industry, concluded recently in nor the travel disruption from bomb visitors came from industry sectors in- promote the development of innovative tions ranging from concept develop- devices plays a key role in the govern-
Cologne, Germany, with participation disposal of several World War II bombs cluding pharmaceuticals, agriculture, medical devices. ment, material selection and customi- ment’s Healthy China 2030 initiative.
of over 400 exhibitors from 23 near the exhibition grounds during paints & coatings, plastic & rubber, sation, prototyping and processing, Manufacturers are increasingly pursuing
countries. opening day,” commented Christiane water treatment, and personal care & “Our next-generation biomaterials analytical services, quality and regula- competitive raw materials and service
Beck, Event Director of Chemspec cosmetics. are enabling our customers to innovate tory documentation, to manufacturing solutions to diff erentiate themselves
“The fi ne and speciality chemicals Europe. new medical technologies that create semi-fi nished products and components in the world’s second-largest medical
community demonstrated the industry’s The event expanded its network- life beyond limits. The latest addition in an ISO class 7 cleanroom environ- device market,” said Fuliang Xia, Presi-
renowned resilience, showcasing re- The event attracted over 4,000 ing offerings with the debut of the to our global technical service network ment. By utilising advanced processing dent of Evonik Greater China.

158 Chemical Weekly July 22, 2025 Chemical Weekly July 22, 2025 159

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