Three integrated technologies — precision microbial consortia, modular bioreactor hardware, and AI-driven process intelligence — combine to recover critical metals from waste streams that conventional metallurgy cannot touch.
Each layer solves a distinct problem in metal recovery — and together they create a closed-loop system that is cleaner, cheaper, and auditable end-to-end.
The biology
Precision-engineered microbial communities that selectively leach and concentrate target metals — lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and rare earth elements — from complex feedstocks.
The hardware
Containerised MER units that ship to site, plug into existing waste streams, and scale horizontally — from 5 tonnes to 500 tonnes per day of feedstock throughput.
The intelligence
A SaaS platform that ingests real-time microbial, chemical and flow data — and turns it into predictive control, certified reporting, and continuous process optimisation.
Bio-hydrometallurgy, industrialised.
MER replaces the high-temperature, high-pressure, chemically aggressive steps of conventional metallurgy with a biologically driven process. Our consortia generate organic acids, siderophores and redox-active compounds that bind, mobilise and concentrate target metals in situ.
The result is a process that operates near ambient temperature, produces no toxic byproducts, and works on feedstocks that traditional methods have written off — mixed e-waste, low-grade tailings, spent battery black mass.
| Operating temperature | 20–45 °C (ambient) |
|---|---|
| Operating pressure | Atmospheric |
| Target metals | Li, Co, Ni, Cu, Mn, REEs |
| Recovery efficiency | ≥ 70% (mixed feedstock) |
| Consortia type | Non-GMO, non-pathogenic |
| Reagent input | Organic acids, siderophores |
| Byproducts | None hazardous |
| Scale range | 5 – 500 t/day feedstock |
Every unit is a self-contained, monitored, and remotely operable bio-recovery cell — designed to survive the realities of an industrial site.
Active heating and cooling maintain optimal microbial kinetics across seasonal swings.
Nutrient, pH and redox control loop with onboard analytics and remote override.
Continuous metal-rich leachate is separated and concentrated without process downtime.
Closed-loop fluid handling with fail-safe interlocks and remote shutdown.
The intelligence engine behind every MER deployment.
Microbial processes are inherently noisy. Our platform ingests continuous telemetry — cell density, metabolite flux, redox state, metal concentration — and produces clean, predictable outputs that a plant manager can act on.
It ships as a SaaS layer on top of any MER installation, and integrates with existing site SCADA and ERP systems.
Continuous monitoring with autonomous setpoint adjustment keeps recovery efficiency inside its optimal band.
Feedstock-aware forecasting that anticipates variability in the incoming material stream.
Automatic generation of audit-ready sustainability, carbon and material-balance reports.
REST and OPC-UA APIs for SCADA, ERP, and third-party analytics stacks.
A closed-loop flow that begins with mixed feedstock and ends with battery-grade metal salt, ready for re-entry into supply chains.
E-waste, tailings or black mass is characterised, milled and slurried. Our team profiles metal content and adjusts consortia selection accordingly.
In the bioreactor, engineered consortia metabolically liberate target metals into solution — while leaving the bulk matrix intact.
Metal-rich leachate passes through selective precipitation and ion-exchange stages that isolate target metals at high purity.
Recovered metal salts are dried, certified against spec, and dispatched to battery and alloy manufacturers — closing the loop.
Head-to-head against pyrometallurgy and conventional chemical leaching on the metrics that matter for site operators and sustainability officers.
| Metric | MER (BioMetallix) | Pyrometallurgy | Chemical leaching |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating temperature | 20–45 °C | 1,200–1,600 °C | 60–200 °C |
| Energy consumption | Baseline | + 200–400% | + 100–150% |
| Recovery efficiency (mixed) | ≥ 70% | 50–70% | 40–65% |
| Hazardous byproducts | None | Slag, off-gas | Acid waste streams |
| Feedstock flexibility | High | Low — needs high-grade | Medium |
| Deployment footprint | Modular | Centralised smelter | Tank farm |
| Carbon footprint | − 40% vs. baseline | High | Medium |
Figures derived from pilot-scale trials across e-waste and mine-tailings feedstocks, 2023–2025. Request the full methodology.
Our intellectual property spans the biology, the hardware, and the software — giving partners confidence that the platform is both protected and progressing.
Filed across consortia composition, bioreactor design and process control methodology.
Operating across e-waste and mine-tailings feedstocks in European industrial partners' facilities.
Horizon Europe and private funding secured through the current commercial-scale deployment phase.
First successful recovery of Li and Co from mixed e-waste in benchtop reactors.
Public funding secured to validate the platform at pilot scale with industrial partners.
Containerised MER units operating on-site with commercial partners.
Multi-site deployment across European and UK industrial partners.
Everything your engineering, sustainability and procurement teams need to evaluate MER for a specific site or feedstock.
Platform architecture, process chemistry and validation methodology.
Full technical parameters, site requirements and integration guide.
SaaS architecture, integrations, data security and reporting model.
Real performance data from live pilot deployments across Europe.
Send us a sample profile and we'll run a digital feasibility study — expected recovery efficiency, throughput, capex and carbon impact. No obligation, no cost, no small print.