Descycle

Descycle, founded in 2018, is a deep-tech company focused on decarbonizing the metals industry. The company was co-founded by Leo Howden, Dr. Rob Harris, Fred White, Geoff McNamara, and John Murray. The initial concept emerged from an accidental discovery at the University of London, where a Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) was found to dissolve gold during an archaeology project. This led to the development of a patent-pending chemical process that uses DES, a class of non-toxic, recyclable liquid salts, for metal recovery.

The company's primary market is the recycling of electronic waste (e-waste), a rapidly growing global waste stream. Descycle's technology provides an alternative to traditional smelting, a process that is energy-intensive and pollutive. The DES process operates at low temperatures and ambient pressures, resulting in a low-carbon, low-impact method for extracting valuable metals such as copper, gold, palladium, nickel, and cobalt from e-waste and minerals. This approach enables the creation of local, circular economies for recycled metals.

Descycle's business model involves forming joint ventures and partnerships with key industry players. A significant partnership has been established with GAP Group, a major UK e-waste recycler, to build commercial recycling facilities. The company has secured substantial funding, including a pre-Series A round of £4.85 million and a Series A round of £10.2 million (€12.2 million), to construct and operate a pilot plant in Teesside, UK, with plans for a larger commercial facility in Gateshead. Investors include BGF, Vorwerk Ventures, Cisco Investments, and Mitsubishi Corporation.

Keywords: e-waste recycling, deep eutectic solvents, sustainable metal recovery, circular economy, green chemistry, metals industry, low-carbon technology, critical metals, mineral processing, gold recovery, copper recycling, palladium extraction, cleantech, industrial decarbonization, venture capital, technology commercialization, chemical engineering, waste management, environmental services, hydrometallurgy