Tech Breakthrough: Green Extraction & Recycling

January 2026 has seen a surge in "Urban Mining" news.

• Cyclic Materials: On January 29, 2026, this leader in REE recycling announced a $75 million Series B funding round. They are scaling up their proprietary technology to extract high-purity Neodymium and Praseodymium from end-of-life hard drives and EV motors.
• Biosorption: Researchers have recently published a study on using genetically engineered bacteria to "filter" rare earths from mining waste. This method is significantly cleaner than traditional chemical leaching, which has historically been a major environmental concern.