Cash boost for UK e-scrap pioneers

UK innovator DEScycle is planning a pre-commercial pilot plant to recycle metals from electronic waste.

The company is developing the technology of deep eutectic solvents (DES), new mixtures whose melting point is lower than that of its constituents. DEScycle has successfully closed a £10.2 million (EUR 12.2 million) Series A round led by BGF, one of the largest and most experienced growth capital investors in the UK and Ireland with Berlin based Vorwerk Ventures as co-lead.

Recycling facility

The cash is funding the construction and operation of a pre-commercial pilot plant at Wilton International on Teesside in the north-east of England. The plant will demonstrate the company’s DES-based technology in a real environment, as well as providing data for a commercial operation.

Future plans include the opening of an e-waste recycling facility in nearby Gateshead with the support from DEScycle’s joint venture partner, GAP Group, one of the UK’s largest e-waste recyclers. The commercial plant will be able to recycle 5 000 tonnes of e-waste per year, producing copper and palladium and gold.

Vote of confidence

DEScycle chair Ian Cockerill says the latest funding round is a strong vote of confidence in his team, their technology and the potential to revolutionise the metals industry.
‘The business is paving the way for an environmentally responsible and profitable approach to metals recycling from e-waste. This is particularly relevant for growth areas, such as artificial intelligence, which require a significant infrastructure rollout reliant on metals, all of which, due to their short lifespan, will be recyclable when DEScycle launches commercially.’

E-waste is the world’s fastest growing waste stream with a value of over EUR 87 billion in 2022, growing to EUR 115 billion $120bn by 2030. According to Global E-Waste Monitor, the pace the generation outstrips the growth of recycling capacity by a factor of five.