Phoenix Tailings Massachusetts Facility the First Rare Earth Metal Refinery in the U.S.

Boston, MA – A Massachusetts-based startup is sustainably producing rare earth metals at the first rare earth metal refinery in the United States, showcasing the power of American ingenuity and innovation in reshoring these critical materials from China.

Phoenix Tailings is now producing the first commercial scale critical rare earth metals in the United States at its Massachusetts production facility. Leveraging its novel proprietary process that produces these metals with zero toxic byproducts and zero direct carbon emissions, Phoenix Tailings has been able to significantly expand its operations through funding from the Department of Energy ARPA-E program, as well as Venture Capital Investors Accomplice and Olive Tree, MCJ Climate Fund & Valley Ridge. The company has demonstrated product viability at pilot scale in its R&D facility and this new facility will focus on commercial operation  and will produce 120 tons per year at full capacity, before further expansion.

This is a significant milestone in American production capabilities to refine critical materials used in almost every component for modern manufacturing, such as the magnets used in electric cars, computers and smartphones. Historically, there has been a gap in the domestic supply chain with U.S.-mined material shipped to China for processing and refining.

“We are currently seeing a rush of new players in the rare earths space who are focused on the extraction or concentrate production. Unfortunately, these materials still need to be sent to China to be refined,” said Phoenix Tailings Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Nick Myers. “At Phoenix Tailings, we are solving this critical gap with our technology in order to reduce America’s dependence on foreign governments. That’s one of the reasons we are so excited about the commercial production capacity at our facility.”

“We have the goal of a clean, electrified future but we are currently relying on a supply chain dominated by a Chinese monopoly that produces critical metals like rare earths with a process so toxic, it is prohibited in the United States,” said Phoenix Tailings Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder Dr. Tomas Villalón Jr. “Our technology uses the waste known as tailings that has been left behind at mining sites around the country, to produce rare earths with zero toxic byproducts and zero direct carbon emissions.”

Phoenix Tailings zero-emissions manufacturing equipment was designed to be a self-enclosed unit, ensuring that the rare earth metals can be produced in any warehouse with enough space for the machine. Producing rare earth metals in a carbon-neutral and zero-emission manner protects public health, worker safety, and our environment. 

The facility is currently producing the rare earth metals, neodymium and dysprosium, which are essential in building high strength magnets and nuclear reactors, elements the United States currently relies on China to produce.

Traditional metals production incurs environmental costs and causes significant destruction to societies. This destruction limits the expansion of metals production in developed countries.

To learn more about the innovative work Phoenix Tailings is doing, you can check out this informational video.

Nick Myers is the CEO of Phoenix Tailings, a Massachusetts-based refiner of rare earth metals and other critical materials from mining waste.