Alucha Recycling Technologies

What Alucha Recycling Technologies does

Alucha Recycling Technologies is a Netherlands-based industrial technology company (Alucha Works BV) that has developed a patented pyrolysis reactor process to recover Circular Calcium Carbonate (CCC) from paper mill sludge (PMS), the largest waste stream in the European paper industry at roughly 9 million tonnes per year. The process separates the inorganic fraction into multiple grades of recovered calcium carbonate filler (CCC Base, Fine, Fine-C, Micro, Micro-C at d50 sizes from 1 to 17 µm) and converts the organic cellulose fraction into bio-based oil. Alucha operates the Mine1 pilot plant in Cuijk (60 kg/h capacity, over 15,000 hours of operation since 2023) and is planning Mine2, a 13,000 tonnes/year commercial-scale demonstration plant targeted for 2026/2027. The company's go-to-market is enterprise B2B field sales directed at manufacturers in paints and coatings (AkzoNobel), plastics and PVC (Dyka), rubber and elastomers, adhesives (Bostik), and paper producers, sold through direct enterprise engagement and the Grolman Group distribution partnership across Europe. Revenue is generated through CCC product sales, technology licensing and feasibility studies, and pilot plant sample production. The company has a small team of approximately 11-15 specialists and has been funded primarily through EU LIFE Programme grants, GoChem grants, and provincial Dutch subsidies rather than institutional equity, with no parent company or public listing.

Name

Alucha Recycling Technologies

Legal name

Alucha Works BV

Website

https://alucha.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Alucha Recycling Technologies is a Dutch industrial technology company that uses patented pyrolysis to recover Circular Calcium Carbonate (CCC) filler from paper mill sludge, selling it to enterprise manufacturers in paints, plastics, rubber, and adhesives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Recycling Technology / Circular Materials

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Paper Manufacturing (322)

SIC

Papers & Allied Products (2600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAEAFAA

Calcium Carbonate (GCC/PCC)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Chemicals & Industrial Materials/Industrial Minerals & Functional Fillers

Keywords

• Circular calcium carbonate
• Paper mill sludge recycling
• Pyrolysis waste processing
• Industrial filler materials
• Sustainable coating additives

Headquarters

HQ city

Arnhem

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Circular Calcium Carbonate (CCC) Product Sales: Sale of recovered circular calcium carbonate as filler material to manufacturers in paints, coatings, plastics, rubber, and adhesives industries. Products are sold as off-white applications suitable for replacement of fine GCC/PCC fractions.
2. Technology Licensing and Feasibility Studies: Licensing of proprietary pyrolysis technology to paper mills and industrial waste processors. Company conducts laboratory-scale feasibility studies using testing equipment to evaluate waste samples for technology suitability.
3. Pilot Plant Operations (Mine1): Small-scale production facility in Cuijk (60kg/h of CCC) producing CCC sample volumes for potential customers and conducting test runs to further develop technology.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Alucha recovers Circular Calcium Carbonate (CCC) fillers from paper mill sludge using patented pyrolysis reactor technology and sells them to industrial manufacturers in paints & coatings, plastics, rubber, and adhesives as 100% post-consumer alternatives to mined calcium carbonate. The company also offers laboratory feasibility studies, pilot-scale CCC sample production through its Mine1 facility in Cuijk, and licenses its pyrolysis technology to paper mills and waste processors.

Product overview

Alucha Recycling Technologies offers Circular Calcium Carbonate (CCC) - a portfolio of recovered calcium carbonate fillers derived from paper mill sludge using patented pyrolysis reactor technology. The product range includes five CCC grades (CCC Base, CCC Fine, CCC Fine-C, CCC Micro, CCC Micro-C) differentiated by particle size distribution (d50 ranging from 1-17μm) and coating options. These fillers serve as sustainable alternatives to mined ground calcium carbonate in paints & coatings, plastics, rubber, and other industries. The core technology involves pyrolyzing paper mill sludge to recover calcium carbonate while converting organic fibers into bio-based oils. The company operates the Mine1 pilot facility in Cuijk and plans Mine2 for commercial-scale production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CCC (Circular Calcium Carbonate): Recovered calcium carbonate filler from paper mill sludge, used in plastics, paints, coatings, rubber, and other industries to increase recycled content and reduce carbon footprint.
• CCC Base
• CCC Fine
• CCC Fine-C
• CCC Micro
• CCC Micro-C

Products and services

• CCC Base Uncoated Circular Calcium Carbonate with d50=17μm and d98=85μm particle size distribution, designed for use as a filler in pre-decoration, flooring, and ceramics applications.
• CCC Fine Uncoated Circular Calcium Carbonate with d50=3μm and d98=25μm particle size distribution, suitable for paints & coatings and plastics applications.
• CCC Fine-C Coated Circular Calcium Carbonate with d50=3μm and d98=25μm particle size distribution, designed for plastics applications requiring surface coating.
• CCC Micro Uncoated Circular Calcium Carbonate with d50=1μm and d98=5μm particle size distribution, suitable for paints & coatings, plastics, and rubber applications.
• CCC Micro-C Coated Circular Calcium Carbonate with d50=1μm and d98=5μm particle size distribution, designed for plastics applications requiring surface coating.
• Laboratory Feasibility Studies Small-scale testing and feasibility analysis at the Alucha laboratory in Arnhem (IPKW) to evaluate customer-provided waste samples for compatibility with Alucha's pyrolysis technology.
• Pyrolysis Technology Licensing Licensing of Alucha's patented pyrolysis reactor technology to paper mills and industrial waste processors for processing paper mill sludge and other waste streams.

Quantifiable outcome

• 220 kg CO2 equivalent saved per metric tonne of PMS processed
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EssitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Essity collaborates with Alucha on the LIFE RE&UCE project to apply innovative pyrolysis technology for processing paper sludge at the Cuijk factory. Partnership aims to recover 7 kiloton calcium carbonate and 2 kiloton bio-fuel annually, reducing 4,300 tonnes CO2 and 19.7 kiloton waste. Essity is Alucha's key development partner for paper mill sludge solution since 2014.
• Grolman GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2024Grolman Group distributes Circular Calcium Carbonate from Alucha to plastics, rubber, adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, and building/construction industries. Partnership includes joint marketing at European Coatings Show and regional collaboration through Grolman Iberia SLU.
• Institute for Sustainable Process Technology (ISPT)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Partnership in ReBBloCS project (Renewable Building Blocks from Complex and wet waste Streams) with 48-month runtime developing circular value chains for waste valorisation.
• Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (University of Amsterdam)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023Partnership on KIEM GoChem grant (40,000 euro) for investigating and enhancing applications of circular calcium carbonate. Dr. Stefania Grecea leads the Functional Materials group in this circularity research.
• University of TwenteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Research partnership on 'Schoner rubber met circulaire fillers' (Cleaner rubber with circular fillers) project. Also collaborated on original pyrolysis technology development and Elastomer Competence Centre testing.
• Rijksuniversiteit GroningenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership on 'Bruikbare bio-olie uit papierslib' (Usable bio-oil from paper sludge) project funded through GoChem initiative.
• REA CollegeminorOthers · 1 January 2023Collaboration with REA College metal technology department at IPKW in Arnhem for technical training and support services.
• Polymer Science ParkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaboration on demonstrating effective application of Alucha's CCC in PVC products. Partner provided expertise and financial support from Province of Overijssel.
• DykaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaboration in DE BAL OPZuid project to test use of CCC in PVC tubing products. Dyka developing three-layer PVC drainage pipes with regenerated calcium carbonate from paper sludge.
• BostikminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaboration in DE BAL OPZuid project to test use of CCC in adhesive and sealant products.
• AkzoNobelcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019AkzoNobel collaboration on technology to turn paper sludge into resources for making paint. Alucha won Paint the Future Award in Circular Solutions category. Partnership established through AkzoNobel's startup innovation challenge.
• Stora EnsominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Original project developed with Stora Enso Barcelona. Company selected for Stora Enso Accelerator Programme in 2019. Stora Enso celebrated inauguration of new recycling process at Barcelona mill in 2011.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Veolia: Global waste management and resource recovery major operating materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and industrial waste processing across Europe. Comparable as a large-scale player in industrial waste valorization that could vertically integrate into recovered fillers.
• Solvay: Belgian specialty chemicals major with broad portfolio including calcium-based products and circular-economy initiatives. Comparable as a large European specialty chemicals incumbent with the R&D and capital to develop competing circular filler offerings.

Emerging players

• Carbon Clean: UK-based carbon capture technology company with industrial recycling and circular-economy positioning. Comparable as a UK/European industrial decarbonization technology company targeting hard-to-abate sectors.
• Carbios: French biotech company developing enzyme-based recycling technologies for PET plastics and other polymers. Comparable as a European circular-materials technology company addressing industrial waste streams with novel processes.
• BlackBear Carbon: Dutch pyrolysis-based tire recycling startup recovering carbon black, oil and gas from end-of-life tires. Directly comparable as a small Netherlands-based pyrolysis startup; Alucha's project/construction manager previously served as COO of BlackBear Carbon.
• Plastic Energy: UK-based company using pyrolysis to convert post-consumer plastic waste into feedstock for new plastics. Comparable technology approach (thermal depolymerization of complex waste streams) and similar circular-materials commercial proposition.
• Enval: UK-based pyrolysis technology company recovering value from post-consumer plastic-aluminium laminate packaging. Comparable as a small-scale European pyrolysis recycling startup targeting hard-to-recycle waste streams; was Alucha's original focus area in 2010.

Direct peers

• Minerals Technologies Inc. (Specialty Minerals): Leading producer of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) and other mineral-based fillers used in paper, paints, plastics, and adhesives. Directly comparable end-product portfolio; Alucha's CCC competes with PCC grades in similar applications.
• Omya: Global leader in ground calcium carbonate (GCC) and calcium carbonate fillers for paints, plastics, paper, and adhesives. Directly comparable as a competing supplier into the same end-markets Alucha targets with its CCC grades, but operating at industrial scale with mined raw material.
• Imerys: Major minerals and specialty fillers producer offering calcium carbonate, kaolin, and talc for paints, plastics, paper, and rubber. Comparable as a direct supplier of mineral fillers that Alucha's CCC displaces, with broader mineral portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInnl.linkedin.com/company/alucha-recycling-technologies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Alucha Recycling Technologies