Veteran of Umicore, Redwood Materials, and Nyrstar to help scale Momentum’s commercial critical minerals platform as the company advances its Carrollton, Texas REE line and plans a second commercial-scale plant

CARROLLTON, Texas, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Momentum Technologies (“Momentum”), a critical minerals refining and recovery company, today announced that Ben Gilliams has been named Executive Partner, Technology, Operations & Strategy. In this role, Gilliams will help guide work across technology and innovation, operations and scale-up, and commercialization and strategic development, while partnering closely with Momentum’s leadership team on key growth priorities.

The appointment expands Gilliams’s role with Momentum as the company enters its next phase of commercial scale-up. Momentum’s first commercial Rare Earth Element (REE) line, which refines recycled hard-disk-drive feedstock under an executed tolling agreement with a hyperscale technology customer, is now operational at Carrollton and ramping toward 300 tons-per-year capacity. A second commercial-scale plant at Carrollton, designed for up to 1,000 tons per year of REE capacity across two build-out phases, is under active development as Momentum prepares for a final investment decision.

“Ben brings nearly three decades of global operating leadership in critical minerals and advanced materials at exactly the moment Momentum is moving from demonstration to commercial scale,” said Mahesh Konduru, CEO of Momentum. “Ben has already played an important role in shaping how we scale, and this expanded role reflects both his impact to date and the breadth we need as we bring our second Carrollton plant online. He’s the right person to help us build a platform that lasts.”

A Global Track Record in Critical Minerals and Materials Operations

Gilliams brings close to 30 years of international general management, operations, and technology leadership across the metals, mining, and battery materials industries, with experience spanning Europe, the U.S., and Asia.

Prior to his work with Momentum, Gilliams served as Vice President, Operations and Strategic Projects, Europe at Nyrstar, where he focused on operational and strategic initiatives across the company’s European business. Before Nyrstar, he served as Senior Vice President, Global Strategic Programs at Redwood Materials, where he coordinated upstream strategy, scouted new and complementary technologies, and helped build the processes and footprint for Redwood’s upstream refining and recycling operations.

He also spent more than a decade in senior operating roles at Umicore, including as Vice President of Operations & Process Technology for its Rechargeable Battery Materials business, where he led international sites across Belgium, Finland, and China and served as a board member at two Chinese joint ventures and a wholly owned Finnish operation. Earlier Umicore roles included Vice President of Global Operations & Engineering for Refining & Recycling and Global Business & Technology Director, spanning the company’s cobalt, specialty materials, and precious metals refining businesses across Europe, the U.S., and Asia.

“Momentum is at an inflection point that few companies in this industry ever reach: real commercial volumes, a growing pipeline, and a technology platform built for replication,” said Gilliams. “I’m excited to broaden my work with the team across technology, operations, and commercialization as we scale what we’ve proven at Carrollton.”

Gilliams holds a Ph.D. in chemistry and a master’s degree in chemistry from the Catholic University of Leuven, and an MBA from Vlerick Business School.

Advancing Momentum’s Commercial Platform

Momentum’s Carrollton demonstration and commercial operations have processed more than 7,000 tons of REE and battery-materials feedstock to date, logging over 1,200 operating hours across two daily shifts. The facility has demonstrated 99.9% purity for Yttrium, 99.5% purity for NdPr Oxide, and battery-grade purity for cobalt and nickel, and Momentum’s technology base now includes six newly filed Momentum process patents alongside four patents licensed from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The planned second Carrollton plant, together with a growing near-term pipeline of REE and black mass processing opportunities, positions Momentum to significantly expand its domestic processing footprint over the coming year.

About Momentum Technologies

Momentum Technologies is a critical minerals processing company based in Carrollton, Texas. The company developed its patented Membrane Solvent Extraction (MSX) technology in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. MSX recovers and separates high-purity light and heavy Rare Earth Elements, such as Neodymium, Dysprosium, and Terbium, and battery materials, such as Lithium, Nickel, and Cobalt. The technology processes both primary feedstocks, including mined ore and mining byproducts, and secondary feedstocks, including lithium-ion battery black mass, magnet swarf, and industrial waste streams. MSX operates at significantly lower capital and operating costs than conventional processing methods and scales by replicating modular units. Momentum was named to TIME’s World’s Top GreenTech Companies list in 2026 and to TIME’s America’s Top GreenTech Companies list in 2025 and 2026. For more information, please visit momentum.technology.

Media Contact
Jacqueline Campos
Marketing & Communications Manager
Phone: 817.522.8271
Email: jacqueline.campos@momentum.technology 

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SOURCE Momentum Technologies