Renewable Metals

What Renewable Metals does

Renewable Metals is an Australian battery-recycling technology company that operates a proprietary alkali-based hydrometallurgical process to recover lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and manganese from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. The process is differentiated from conventional acid-based recycling on three structural points: it processes all major battery chemistries (NMC, LCO, LFP) on a single production line without pre-sorting, it eliminates sodium sulfate as a by-product (which carries significant disposal cost and regulatory burden in Western markets), and it is delivered via a modular plant architecture intended for low-capital Western deployment. The company claims over 95% recovery of contained metals and up to 30% higher lithium recovery than conventional acid-based methods.

The company's product surface is its recycling technology itself, instantiated across three physical assets: a commercial prototype plant in Kewdale, Western Australia (initial 960 tpa ramping to 2,000 tpa, commissioning targeted from mid-2026), a demonstration plant at European Metal Recycling's Birmingham, UK site commissioned in H1 2025, and a planned first commercial-scale 8,000 tpa refinery in the Hunter Valley, NSW, currently in FEED study. Revenue economics are expected to come from processing fees on toll recycling and from sale of recovered metals back to the battery supply chain.

The company sells B2B to battery manufacturers, EV makers, and industrial battery recyclers, with named counterparties including European Metal Recycling (UK's largest end-of-life recycler, also an investor) and AMPYR Australia (energy storage). Distribution is direct enterprise sales with strategic partnerships securing feedstock, sites, and operating partners. The company is venture-backed (CEFC, Virescent Ventures, Investible, Grantham Foundation, Climate Tech Partners, Neglected Climate Opportunities) with significant non-dilutive government support (ARENA, UK APC) totalling over A$38 million since inception. Leadership includes former BHP CFO and President Copper/Manganese Peter Beaven as Chair.

Name

Renewable Metals

Legal name

Renewable Metals

Website

https://renewable-metals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Renewable Metals is an Australian battery-recycling technology company using a proprietary alkali-based hydrometallurgical process to recover lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and manganese from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries, serving battery manufacturers, EV makers, and industrial recyclers in Australia and the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Battery Recycling Services

NAICS

Secondary Smelting, Refining, and Alloying of Nonferrous Metal (except Copper and Aluminum) (331492), Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Smelting and Refining (33141)

SIC

Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341), Primary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3330)

akta.pro primary industry

Hydrometallurgical Recycling & Refining (Leaching, Solvent Extraction, Precipitation) (EUAFACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lithium-ion Battery Recycling (Mechanical, Hydro, Direct Recycling) (EUAIAIAF), Battery Materials Refining & Re-Manufacturing Feedstocks (Li, Ni, Co, Mn, Graphite Salts) (EUAIAIAJ), Battery Recycling & Materials Recovery (Li-ion, LFP, Flow, Lead-Acid) (EUAMALAE)

Keywords

• Battery recycling services
• Hydrometallurgical recycling
• Critical minerals recovery
• Lithium-ion recycling
• Alkali-based processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Welshpool

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Battery Recycling Processing & Material Recovery: Processing end-of-life lithium-ion batteries to recover critical minerals (lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, manganese) that are sold back to battery manufacturers and the broader battery supply chain. The company operates commercial prototype and demonstration plants to generate revenue from processing fees and recovered material sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Renewable Metals operates commercial-scale hydrometallurgical recycling plants that recover lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and manganese from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries using a world-first alkali-based process. The single-line operation handles all major battery chemistries (NMC, LCO, LFP) without pre-sorting, eliminates sodium sulfate by-product waste, and recovers over 95% of contained metals. Recovered materials are sold back to battery manufacturers and the broader battery supply chain.

Product overview

Renewable Metals offers a single unified technology platform centered on its proprietary alkali-based hydrometallurgical recycling process for end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. The platform recovers over 95% of critical minerals (lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, manganese) on a single production line, handling all major battery chemistries (NMC, LCO, LFP) simultaneously without pre-sorting. The company is scaling through multiple facilities: a UK Demonstration Plant (in partnership with European Metal Recycling in Birmingham), a Kewdale Prototype Plant in Western Australia (initial capacity 960 tpa, ramping to 2,000 tpa), and a planned Hunter Valley Commercial Refinery (8,000 tpa) in New South Wales as the blueprint for global modular deployment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Alkali-Based Hydrometallurgical Recycling Process A patented single-line hydrometallurgical process that recovers lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and manganese from all lithium-ion battery chemistries (NMC, LCO, LFP) on one production line without pre-sorting, eliminating sodium sulfate waste production and achieving over 95% metal recovery. Sold as a recycling service to battery manufacturers, EV makers, and industrial battery users.
• Kewdale Prototype Plant Commercial prototype battery recycling plant in Kewdale, Western Australia operating at an initial 960 tpa capacity and ramping to 2,000 tpa. Generates commercial performance data to validate the alkali-based process before scaling to full commercial deployment.
• UK Demonstration Plant Demonstration-scale battery refining plant operated at European Metal Recycling's Birmingham site in the UK, processing automotive, industrial (e-bikes, e-scooters) and portable lithium-ion batteries. The facility is 10x the size of initial pilot scale and validates the technology at global commercial-relevant scale.
• Hunter Valley Commercial Refinery (planned) Planned first commercial-scale battery recycling refinery in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, designed for 8,000 tpa capacity. Establishes the blueprint for repeatable, globally deployable modular commercial plants.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 95% recovery of critical minerals including lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, manganese
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AMPYR AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Signed battery recycling deal with Renewable Metals for processing end-of-life batteries.
• European Metal Recycling (EMR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Partnership with UK's largest end-of-life recycler to build and operate demonstration plant at EMR's Birmingham site. EMR supplies end-of-life batteries for recycling and invests in Renewable Metals. Facility processes automotive, industrial and portable lithium-ion batteries. Validates technology at global level and supercharges pathway to commercial plant.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Li-Cycle: Li-Cycle operates a spoke-and-hub network for lithium-ion battery recycling using hydrometallurgical processing to recover critical minerals. It is the most directly comparable publicly listed peer in scale-up of Western-market Li-ion recycling and competes for the same OEM and battery manufacturer offtake agreements.
• Redwood Materials: Redwood Materials is a US-based battery recycling and materials company founded by a former Tesla CTO, recovering lithium, cobalt, nickel and copper from end-of-life batteries for re-entry into the US battery supply chain. It directly competes for Western OEM partnerships and government-backed critical-minerals projects.
• Ascend Elements: Ascend Elements (formerly Battery Resourcers) operates a hydrometallurgical process to recover lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese from Li-ion batteries and produces cathode active material. It is one of the closest process-equivalent competitors to Renewable Metals' alkali-based hydrometallurgy.

Broad incumbents

• Fortum: Fortum is a Nordic utility that has built commercial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling capacity in Europe using a hydrometallurgical route. It competes for the same European OEM and recycler partnerships and benefits from incumbent utility-scale balance sheet and offtake relationships.
• Umicore: Umicore is a global materials technology and recycling group with established non-ferrous metal refining and battery materials operations. It represents the broader incumbent benchmark for refining economics and is a potential strategic acquirer or partner for emerging Li-ion recyclers.
• Glencore: Glencore is one of the world's largest commodity traders and operators of non-ferrous metal smelting and refining assets, including cobalt and nickel. It competes for recovered battery-grade metals and could act as a strategic offtake partner or acquirer for emerging recyclers like Renewable Metals.

Emerging players

• GEM Co. GEM is one of China's largest battery recyclers with integrated collection and hydrometallurgical processing at significant scale. It represents the cost benchmark Renewable Metals must beat in Western markets and a potential partner for technology licensing into Asia.
• SungEel HiTech: SungEel HiTech is a South Korea-based battery recycler operating hydrometallurgical recovery of black mass from end-of-life Li-ion batteries. It is relevant as an Asian hydrometallurgical peer and a reference point for non-Chinese Western-market entrants.
• Circular Energy Solutions (formerly Heritage Battery Recycling): Circular Energy Solutions is developing Li-ion battery recycling capacity in North America, including hydrometallurgical recovery of critical minerals. It is a direct Western-market emerging peer competing for similar OEM partnerships and government funding.
• Element Energy: Element Energy is a US-based startup developing a hybrid pyrometallurgical-hydrometallurgical Li-ion recycling process with modular plant design. It is an emerging peer addressing the same modular, lower-capital recycling economics that Renewable Metals is pursuing for Western markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/renewable-metals

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Renewable Metals