A quieter revolution is unfolding inside battery recycling: selective chemistry that finally makes economic and environmental sense. We sit down with Dr Ebbe Dommisse, CEO of Iondrive, to explore how deep eutectic solvents enable clean, closed-loop recovery of critical minerals from battery black mass, e-waste, magnets, and end-of-life solar panels—and why that unlocks real scale.
We trace the strategic entry into Europe through a €3.1 million German battery recycling consortium led by RWTH Aachen and Fraunhofer. With upstream partners supplying black mass and downstream partners preparing to validate cells, the project closes the loop from waste to new materials. Ebbe explains how DES separates nickel and cobalt with high selectivity, cuts the environmental footprint versus hydrometallurgy, and lines up with strict European regulations. Beyond chemistry, the win is commercial: secured feedstock, credible offtake, and performance validation that matters to OEMs.
Urban mining becomes the broader play. In North America, the focus is permanent magnets and rare earth recovery alongside partner Colt Recycling. In Europe, EV batteries still dominate, with solar waste rising fast. In Australia, a wave of retired solar panels brings silver and silicon recovery to the fore, supported by local partnerships and policy engagement. We break down why Iron Drive is pursuing two complementary deployment models—hub-and-spoke for Europe’s centralised processing, and modular, co-located units for the geographic sprawl of the US—so the same DES platform can flex across regions and feedstocks.
We also map the near-term milestones: commissioning an Australian pilot plant supported by a government grant, initial debugging, then shipping to Germany for consortium operations on a defined timeline. Expect announcements on technology expansion across e-waste verticals, plus additional supply and offtake agreements that firm up volume. If you care about battery recycling, rare earth supply chains, and the economics of circular materials, this conversation offers a clear view of where the market is going and how a chemistry-first approach can lead.
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