The following submission statement was provided by /u/lughnasadh:

Submission Statement

"This system is expected to become economically feasible in the near future, as the demand and market prices for REEs are likely to rise significantly in the coming years"

It will be interesting to see what price this can be commercialized at. One of the themes of the 2020s is supply-chain security, and China being the dominant source for so many critical elements is a vulnerability. The EU has billions of €'s in funding set aside for circular economy initiatives. Bringing this to market seems a strong contender for that support.

Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/11f1fir/german_scientists_show_a_commercially_feasible/jah29e6/