Monazite is cracked with caustic soda, then hundreds of solvent-extraction stages separate neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr) from their near-identical neighbours into oxide.
Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC)Emerging entrant · LowListed
Toyotsu Rare Earths India
Toyota Tsusho unit that processes IREL rare-earth material in India, historically for export to Japan
Strengths
Working separation operation with Japanese process know-how; IREL approached it in 2025 to help bring Japanese magnet makers to India
Risks
Unlisted subsidiary of a Japanese trading house
Reuters reported (June 2025) that IREL was asked to suspend its rare-earth export arrangement with Japan to keep material at home, which would affect this business
Background
Subsidiary of Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Japan
No Indian market data - not listed
Compiled from public reporting — not exchange-listed.
Where it fits
Separation plants turn mixed rare-earth chloride into individual high-purity oxides. NdPr oxide is the key input for magnets. In India this is essentially IREL's job: its Odisha plant extracts rare-earth chloride and its Aluva (Kerala) unit separates it.
Why it matters
This is the real chokepoint. China does more than 90% of the world's rare-earth refining (IEA). India has large monazite reserves but small separation output - IREL can make roughly 400-500 tonnes of neodymium a year (Reuters, Aug 2025), far short of what a 6,000-tonne magnet industry needs.
Where the value pool sits
Separation is chemistry-heavy, capital-intensive and has thin margins outside China. The value lies in control: whoever holds oxide decides who can make magnets, which is why the scheme ties IREL oxide to the three lowest bidders.
Key drivers
IREL capacity expansion (its NdPr oxide capacity is 400 tonnes a year, per the scheme notification)
BARC technology transfers (e.g. to GMDC, Jan 2026)
Rare Earth Corridors announced in Budget 2026-27
Potential bottlenecks
Monazite contains thorium, so processing is regulated under atomic-energy rules and largely reserved for IREL
Solvent-extraction know-how and reagents
Heavy rare earths (dysprosium, terbium) are scarce in Indian monazite
Investor metrics to watch
IREL NdPr oxide output and allocation to magnet makers
New separation capacity announced by GMDC/NMDC or private firms