Company Interview / The drive to recover rare earths from waste

Key points:

Iondrive deploys "green chemistry" for sustainable e-waste and battery recyclingScaling from pilot to demonstration plant, with commercial deals lined upRecent agreements include Livium (ASX: LIT) and a US-based recyclerCompany well-funded following a $4 million raise and US investment prospects

Lewis Utting from Iondrive outlines a new approach to critical minerals recovery, focusing on sustainable extraction from e-waste, solar panels, and batteries. Utting states that Iondrive’s method is based on “green chemistry” utilising deep eutectic solvents under their proprietary IONSolv™. This process avoids harsh acids and high temperatures, which differentiates it from various traditional metallurgical routes. Utting identifies North America as a particularly promising market due to the scale of e-waste and the challenge of recovering heavy rare earth elements typically lost in the recycling process.

According to Utting, Iondrive is transitioning from technology development to commercial execution. The company has achieved success at the pilot level and is now scaling up to demonstration plants. The objective is to replicate their positive results from a semi-continuous pilot, especially around metal recovery and solvent reuse. Commissioning of their next plant is expected in the coming weeks. Utting points out that competitors like MTM offer alternative recycling methods, but notes that Iondrive’s platform produces higher-value products while processing a broader range of waste streams.

Looking ahead, Utting highlights multiple recently announced deals, including one with a major US recycler and an agreement with Livium (ASX: LIT), the country’s largest lithium ion battery recycler. He emphasises Iondrive’s strong funding position, citing a recent $4 million capital raise and significant interest from US institutional capital sources.