DEScycle

Argo Natural Resource Limited is a UK-based company founded in 2018. The company's vision is that of transforming the €1 Trillion metals industry by ending the reliance upon high-energy demanding and polluting processes while its mission is to replace outdated and polluting smelting technology with an innovative, eco-friendly, and profitable solution for sustainable metal recycling from e-waste. E-waste is the world’s fastest-growing waste stream, fuelled by a rapidly increasing global population, rising standards of living for billions of people and evermore tech products coming to market. The improper treatment and disposal through open burning or landfill pose significant risks to the environment and human health and do not allow the enhancement of the circular economy. To solve what seems to be a never-ending problem, DEScycle has created an innovative, cheap, and clean technology to recycle metals which relies on a new class of chemicals, Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES). DES are eco-friendly liquids made of salts and organic compounds that are capable of dissolving metals with a recovery rate in the range of 99.5% and have a high capacity for holding metals in solution, allowing the replacement of polluting technology like smelting. With a global market value forecasted to grow to €75.7bn by 2030 at a CAGR of 3%, e-waste treatment needs technological improvements to follow Green Deal's requirements and to enhance worldwide circular economy. DEScycle's innovative process boosts metal recovery through Joint Ventures with Upstream Recyclers and allows Retailers and Manufacturing companies to reintroduce their recycled products in their manufacturing processes. DEScycle's business model forecasts a cumulative revenue of €1.32bn in the first five years after commercialization, positioning the company as the worldwide leader in the metal recovery sector. To reach this target, the company is seeking €2.5m in funding through the EIC Accelerator Grant-only option.