The Canadian city betting on recycling rare earths for the energy transition
As countries scramble to secure critical minerals, Kingston’s burgeoning clean tech ecosystem is attracting startups to create circular supply chains and reduce reliance on China
Inside a sprawling warehouse in Kingston, Ontario, in Central Canada, a forklift beeps past huge cardboard boxes full of discarded electric vehicle motors, stripped down copper wires and the rusty brown innards of old MRI machines.
All await the same fate: being crunched into a powder so their critical minerals can be extracted.
As countries scramble to secure supplies of the raw materials they need to manufacture wind turbines, batteries and other technologies key to preventing runaway climate change, this facility run by local startup Cyclic Materials is part of an emerging industry: creating a circular economy for critical energy transition minerals.
“Recycling means you get [back] the high-value stuff,” said Ahmad Ghahreman, CEO of the company, which has received funding from electric vehicle heavyweights like BMW.
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