Iondrive (ASX:ION) is venturing into the electronic waste urban mining market, aiming to recover valuable materials like copper, gold, silver, palladium, and rare earth elements from printed circuit boards (PCBs). This expansion leverages Iondrive’s proprietary Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) platform, a biodegradable and low-toxicity solvent that enables closed-loop recovery of critical minerals, bypassing the environmental drawbacks of traditional smelting or acid leaching methods.
The e-waste project is slated to commence in Q3 2025, with initial results anticipated later that year. These findings will inform the potential for a commercial-scale e-waste recycling facility and broader applications of Iondrive’s DES platform across new feedstocks. The initiative aligns with global circular economy initiatives, including the European Union’s Circular Economy Action Plan and Australia’s National Waste Policy Action Plan 2024.
This move addresses the rapidly growing global e-waste problem, which reached an estimated 62 million tonnes in 2022 and is projected to hit 82 million tonnes by 2030. Despite this surge, only 22% of e-waste is formally collected and recycled. Iondrive’s technology offers a sustainable solution to recover the estimated US$91 billion worth of recoverable metals contained within the global e-waste stream. The company’s focus on PCBs, which contain high concentrations of critical and precious metals, positions Iondrive to capitalize on the increasing demand for environmentally responsible resource recovery.
The testing will be conducted at the University of Adelaide, supported by a Green Industries SA grant awarded to Iondrive. The program also is expected to be eligible for the Research and Development Tax Incentive.
