From end to beginning
Lithium batteries play a vital role in the transition from fossil fuels to a clean energy future – but what happens when they reach the end of their life?
Renewable Metals has a solution.
Our unique alkali recycling process recovers critical minerals from old batteries so they can be used again and again.
What makes our process different?
HIGH RECOVERY
We can recover almost all the lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese in end-of-life batteries, without the need to pre-process to black mass.
COST-EFFECTIVE
With fewer steps and leach recycling, our capital and operating costs are lower.
SUSTAINABLE
No sodium sulfate or other chemically precipitated by-products, and low temperature processing.
ROBUST
Our process works for all major battery chemistries, including lithium iron phosphate (LFP).
Effective.
Sustainable.
Robust.
Our unique recycling solution recovers the critical minerals in lithium batteries, preventing toxic chemicals from leaching into the environment and creating a circular system where new batteries can be made from recycled materials.
Big picture? It’s about finding practical, impactful, sustainable ways to accelerate decarbonisation and protect our planet. Recycling is the lowest carbon source of critical minerals.
Shifting the paradigm to solve a global problem
As battery recycling turned away from energy-intensive pyrometallurgy, chemical extraction or hydrometallurgy was the natural next step. Globally, many recyclers looked to acid simply because that’s what they’re used to, but it has challenges.
Renewable Metals was founded by a team of West Australian metallurgists who’ve spent decades extracting battery metals from mining ore bodies and concentrates around the world. As a major producer of lithium (half the global supply), nickel and other metals, Australia boasts some world-leading metal extraction experts (like ours). Unlike the rest of the world, the country has a long history of alkali-based metallurgy for refining nickel and cobalt.
That collective knowledge put us in a unique position to invent a world-first, alkali-based recycling process. Effective, sustainable, and robust, our process has fewer steps than acid-based recycling and lets us recover more of the lithium and other metals from end-of-life batteries, with lower costs and without creating another waste problem (like disposing sodium sulfate).
We’re working with businesses in the global lithium battery supply chain as we bring our recycling concept to life.
Meet the Renewable Metals team
Luan Atkinson
CEO, Director
Bio
BCom, LLM/ITP (Harvard), GAICD
Former McKinsey consultant, Deutsche Bank director and funds management executive, hedge fund co-founder and COO
Over 20 years’ experience establishing new businesses and products across different sectors and industries.
A strategic thinker with strong execution capabilities (across fund raising, finance, legal and risk management)
Mark Urbani
CTO, Founder
Bio
BSc. Applied Chemistry (Curtin)
Postgraduate Diploma in Extractive Metallurgy (WA School of Mines)
Specialises in solvent extraction technology development and design
Over 20 years industry experience in construction, commissioning and operation of plants extracting base metals: nickel, copper, cobalt, manganese and lithium (using acid and alkali leaching)
An innovator with extensive real-world problem-solving experience
Peter Beaven
Chair
Bio
BCom, Natal University, CA
Former CFO of BHP, President Copper, President Manganese
Experienced deal-maker and capital allocator, focused on risk management
Gary Johnson
Founder, Director
Bio
MAusIMM, MTMS, MAICD
Over 40 years’ experience in the mining industry as a metallurgist, CEO and director
Original thinker with a practical mindset
Blair Pritchard
Director
Bio
BA(Econ)/LLB (Victoria University, Wellington)
Partner, Virescent Ventures
Former Investment Director Clean Energy Finance Corporation, CIO Macquarie Global Investments
Ben Irons
Director
Bio
DPhil, Econ. (Oxford), BEng (Massey University)
Battery storage expert, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Habitat Energy
Former consultant at Aurora Energy, and McKinsey
In the news
Renewable Metals’ partnership with European Metal Recycling paves the way for sustainable lithium-ion battery recycling
Apr 2024: The deal with European Metal Recycling, UK’s largest end-of-life recycler, sees Renewable Metals’ next stage demonstration scale battery refining plant built and operated at EMR’s Birmingham site in the UK, and supercharges Renewable Metals’ pathway to a commercial plant.
One of the Holon IQ’s 100 most promising Climate Tech startups from Australia and New Zealand
November 2023: Focused on identifying young, fast growing and innovative climate tech start-ups in Australia and New Zealand, the ANZ Climate Tech 100 companies ladders up into the Global Climate Tech 1000 – presented at COP28 in Dubai. Renewable Metals was selected through a mix of product quality, strong traction, good market fit, capable team, and solid capital position.
Read more: HolonIQ ANZ Climate Tech 100.
Renewable Metals closes A$8M capital raise
Renewable Metals, has received A$8 million in seed funding from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (via Virescent Ventures), Investible (the lead investor via its early-stage Climate Tech Fund), Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, and others to scale and commercialise its groundbreaking lithium-ion battery recycling technology.
Accelerating the rate of climate innovation
June 2023: Renewable Metals joins Third Derivative’s Climate Cohort 23-2. The Accelerator supports world-changing climate tech startups with significant climate impact potential, addressing billion-dollar markets bringing innovations in hard science, hardware, software and business models to the world.
Startup poised to decarbonise the world
June 2023: After a highly competitive selection process, ten startups from across Australia and New Zealand, including Renewable Metals, join EnergyLab’s 2023 Climate Solutions Accelerator to get the support they need to deploy their innovative technology at scale.
Lithium value adders win Supercharge Australia Award
March 2023: Renewable Metals wins the inaugural Supercharge Australia Innovation Challenge Award with its unique technology that turns battery waste into battery metals
Get in touch
23 Belmont Avenue
Belmont
Western Australia 6104
Australia
info@renewable-metals.com
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