Recytech
Befesa Zinc Recytech operates a French pyrometallurgical Waelz-process plant that recycles 140,000 tonnes/year of zinc-bearing EAF dust from steel mills into 45,000 tonnes/year of Waelz oxide sold to the zinc industry.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersFouquières-lès-lens, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Recytech does
Recytech, operating since June 2024 as Befesa Zinc Recytech, is a French pyrometallurgical zinc recycling facility located in Fouquières-lez-Lens, Pas-de-Calais. Founded in 1991 as a 50/50 joint venture between Befesa Steel Services and Recylex, the company became a 100% subsidiary of the BEFESA group in June 2024 after BEFESA acquired Recylex's stake during Recylex's judicial liquidation. The 54-employee operation runs on a 13-hectare licensed, Seveso Seuil Haut classified installation and processes approximately 140,000 tonnes per year of zinc-bearing industrial waste, primarily electric arc furnace (EAF) dust from steel mills, using the Waelz process (rotary kiln reduction at ~1,200°C with carbon) to produce roughly 45,000 tonnes per year of Waelz oxide at approximately 60% zinc content. Supporting technical features include a pelletizing unit for input mixing, a closed-loop water circuit enabling zero liquid discharge, and a single smokestack filtration system with DREAL monitoring.
The company operates a B2B industrial model with two revenue streams: (1) processing fees paid by steel mills and industrial producers for compliant disposal of zinc-rich EAF dust, and (2) sales of recovered Waelz oxide as a secondary raw material to the zinc industry (galvanizers and smelters such as Nyrstar). Pricing is contract-negotiated, multi-year, and not publicly disclosed. Customers include ArcelorMittal, Ascometal, PSA Group, Nyrstar, LME, and PAM. The plant is strategically located near major EAF steel producers with road and Lens canal logistics access, holds ISO 14001 certification continuously since 2006, and has benefited from EU, ADEME, and regional government co-funding for process innovation since 2004. The company reinvests approximately €2 million per year into stable, secure, and environmentally responsible production.
Recytech firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Recytech
- Legal name
- Befesa Zinc Recytech SAS
- Website
- https://recytech.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Befesa Zinc Recytech operates a French pyrometallurgical Waelz-process plant that recycles 140,000 tonnes/year of zinc-bearing EAF dust from steel mills into 45,000 tonnes/year of Waelz oxide sold to the zinc industry.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Recytech industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Zinc Recycling Services
- NAICS
- Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Smelting and Refining (33141), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920)
- SIC
- Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Precious & Specialty Metal Recovery (Smelting, Refining, Hydrometallurgy) (EUAIAIAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Metals Recycling & Processing (Ferrous/Non-Ferrous) (BPALADAF), Metals Recovery & Sorting Facilities (Ferrous/Non-Ferrous) (EUAIADAG)
Keywords
Where Recytech is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fouquières-lès-lens
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Recytech business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Zinc-bearing waste processing fees: Steel mills and industrial producers pay fees to have their zinc-rich waste (electric arc furnace dust) processed, reducing their landfill/disposal costs and environmental liability. This is the primary revenue stream for Befesa Zinc Recytech.
- Waelz Oxide Sales: The recovered Waelz oxide (~60% zinc content) is sold as secondary raw material to the zinc industry (galvanizers, zinc smelters), reintroducing recycled zinc into the zinc supply chain. Approximately 45,000 tonnes produced per year.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Contract-based B2B pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Recytech product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Recytech (Befesa Zinc Recytech) operates a pyrometallurgical Waelz process facility in Fouquières-lez-Lens, France, that recycles zinc-bearing industrial waste, primarily electric arc furnace (EAF) dust from steel mills. The process recovers zinc as Waelz oxide at approximately 60% zinc content, which is sold to the downstream zinc industry (smelters, galvanizers) as a secondary raw material, closing the loop on industrial zinc use.
Product overview
Befesa Zinc Recytech operates as a pyrometallurgical zinc recycling facility that processes high zinc-content industrial waste (primarily electric arc furnace dust) through the Waelz process to produce Waelz Oxide. The company functions as an essential link in the circular economy of zinc, transforming zinc-bearing residues into secondary raw materials that preserve the physical and chemical properties of zinc for reuse in industrial applications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Zinc Recycling Services Pyrometallurgical recycling service for high zinc-content industrial waste, primarily electric arc furnace dust and zinc-bearing residues from steel mills. Converts hazardous waste into Waelz oxide, sold as secondary raw material to the zinc industry. Designed for steel mill operators and EAF producers.
- Waelz Oxide Zinc oxide product at approximately 60% zinc content produced via the Waelz process, sold as a secondary raw material to zinc smelters and galvanizers in the downstream zinc industry. Approximately 45,000 tonnes produced annually.
- Urban Mine Valorisation Recovery of zinc from industrial waste streams that contributes to natural resource preservation by reducing virgin zinc mining extraction by approximately 500,000 tonnes per year, supplying secondary raw material for industrial applications including galvanization and corrosion protection.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduces zinc mining extraction by approximately 500,000 tonnes per year
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Recytech
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Recytech technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Recytech partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Team² (Competitiveness Cluster)coreBefesa Zinc Recytech is an active member of the Hauts-de-France Team² competitiveness cluster oriented toward the circular economy. Frédéric Heymans served as President of Team² in 2021. The cluster supports R&D collaboration and innovation in sustainable industrial practices.
- A3M (Atout Métaux & Minerais)minorBefesa Zinc Recytech is a member of A3M, an industry association for metals and minerals. The company has been featured in A3M Actu covering circular economy topics (February 2020: 'A3M AU CŒUR DE L'ÉCONOMIE CIRCULAIRE CHEZ RECYTECH').
- OPCO2iminorOPCO2i is a French skills operator supporting companies in obtaining EU funding for employee training. Befesa Zinc Recytech received EU funding through OPCO2i under the FTJ Hauts-de-France initiative to train employees in skills for ecological transition.
- European UnioncoreThe EU has co-funded Befesa Zinc Recytech's innovative process improvements (since 2004) and employee training programs (FTJ Hauts-de-France). The company has benefited from EU structural funds for environmental and industrial modernization projects.
- ADEME (Agence de la Transition Écologique)minorADEME (French Agency for Ecological Transition) has supported the company's innovative process improvements since 2004 and featured the company in its sustainability communications (2019).
- Conseil Régional du Nord/Pas-de-CalaisminorThe Regional Council of Nord/Pas-de-Calais co-funded the company's innovative process improvements in 2004, supporting the upgrade of the Waelz zinc recycling process.
- TÜV RheinlandminorTÜV Rheinland is the third-party certification body that issued and audits the company's ISO 14001 environmental management certification (certificate reference: 01+104+069655).
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Recytech competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Befesa S.A. Befesa S.A. is the parent company and operates additional Waelz process plants in Spain (Aser), Germany, and South Korea producing Waelz oxide from EAF dust. It is the most directly comparable operator globally, with the same pyrometallurgical technology and customer profile, but at greater scale and geographic diversification.
- Boliden: Boliden is a Swedish integrated zinc and copper smelter that also recovers zinc from secondary sources including smelter residues and dusts. As a major European zinc producer, it both competes for and consumes secondary zinc feedstocks comparable to Recytech's Waelz oxide.
- Nyrstar: Nyrstar is one of the world's largest zinc and lead smelting companies, operating smelters across Europe and the Americas that process both primary and secondary feedstocks. Nyrstar appears among Recytech's reference customers, illustrating the buyer-seller relationship typical between secondary zinc producers and primary smelters.
- Aurubis: Aurubis is a European integrated copper and precious metals recycler with growing multi-metal recovery capabilities. While primarily copper-focused, its recycling infrastructure and recovery of zinc-bearing residues from non-ferrous operations positions it as a broad incumbent in metals recycling adjacent to Recytech's specialty zinc focus.
- Glencore (Zinc): Glencore operates one of the world's largest zinc mining and smelting businesses, with significant secondary material processing at its European and North American smelters. Its scale and vertically integrated zinc operations make it a key comparables benchmark for the global zinc supply chain Recytech feeds into.
Direct peers
- KIRCHHOFF Ecologia: KIRCHHOFF Ecologia operates Waelz kilns in Germany for recycling zinc-bearing steelmaking residues, producing Waelz oxide for the zinc industry. It is one of very few direct competitors running the same pyrometallurgical Waelz process in Europe with a comparable customer base of EAF steel mills.
- Zochem: Zochem (formerly Horsehead Holding) operates Waelz-process zinc oxide plants in North America, processing EAF dust into zinc oxide for the rubber, chemical, and zinc industries. It is the closest North American analogue to Recytech's pyrometallurgical zinc recovery business.
- Recylex: Recylex was the 50% joint venture partner of Recytech from 1991 until 2024, operating zinc and lead recycling facilities in France including Waelz-based recovery. Despite its parent entering judicial liquidation (triggering BEFESA's full takeover of Recytech), Recylex operates comparable French zinc recycling activities serving similar EAF customers.
Others
- Korea Zinc: Korea Zinc is the world's largest integrated zinc smelter and refiner, operating its own Waelz-based EAF dust recycling subsidiary. While its primary business is primary zinc smelting rather than recycling, its recycling arm competes directly with Recytech for zinc feedstock recovery.
- Umicore: Umicore operates one of the world's largest precious and specialty metals recycling businesses, with growing focus on battery materials and industrial residue recovery. While not a direct Waelz competitor, its recycling technology and customer relationships in specialty metallurgy provide adjacent comparability to Recytech's specialty metal recovery focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Recytech social profiles
Digital presenceRecytech compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Recytech financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Recytech leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Recytech funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Recytech M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Recytech
What does Recytech do?
Recytech (Befesa Zinc Recytech) operates a pyrometallurgical Waelz process facility in Fouquières-lez-Lens, France, that recycles zinc-bearing industrial waste, primarily electric arc furnace (EAF) dust from steel mills. The process recovers zinc as Waelz oxide at approximately 60% zinc content, which is sold to the downstream zinc industry (smelters, galvanizers) as a secondary raw material, closing the loop on industrial zinc use.
Is Recytech a public or private company?
Recytech is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Recytech founded?
Recytech was founded in 1991. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Recytech based?
Recytech is headquartered in Fouquières-lès-lens, France, in the Europe region.
How does Recytech make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Zinc-bearing waste processing fees are the primary driver. The others are waelz Oxide Sales.
Who are Recytech's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Befesa S.A., Boliden, Nyrstar, Aurubis and Glencore (Zinc). Direct peers are KIRCHHOFF Ecologia, Zochem and Recylex. Others are Korea Zinc and Umicore.
Does Recytech have an API?
No public API is recorded for Recytech.
What industry is Recytech in?
Recytech's product category is Industrial Zinc Recycling Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAIAIAD, Precious & Specialty Metal Recovery (Smelting, Refining, Hydrometallurgy), with a secondary code of BPALADAF, Metals Recycling & Processing (Ferrous/Non-Ferrous). Its NAICS code is 33141 and its SIC code is 3341.