What Heros does

Heros Sluiskil B.V. is a Netherlands-based circular-economy processor that converts Waste-to-Energy (AEC) bottom ash into certified secondary building materials under the granova brand and recovers ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The single integrated facility in Sluiskil (Ecopark Terneuzen, on the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal) processes roughly 1,000,000 tons of AEC bottom ash and 100,000+ tons of scrap metal annually; its subsidiary Dolphin Metal Separation (Harderwijk, acquired 2022) adds sensor-based, robotized wet reprocessing of non-ferrous concentrates. The granova product family — GRANUMIX (concrete), COMBIMIX (foundation/embankment, Rijkswaterstaat-certified), DRAINMIX (water storage), and IMMOMIX (cementitious immobilization) — is KOMO-, CE-, and ISO-certified and serves as a substitute for sand and gravel in construction, civil engineering, and infrastructure projects. Heros also operates a biological wastewater treatment plant (nitrification/denitrification, pure-oxygen aeration) handling both internal process water and external industrial/hazardous streams.

The company monetizes through three flows: (i) transaction-based sales of recovered ferrous and non-ferrous metals to steel mills, aluminum/copper smelters, and stainless steel plants across ten countries; (ii) transaction-based sales of granova secondary raw materials to construction firms, civil engineering contractors, and government buyers, supported by an online bestektool (specification tool) for tendering; and (iii) managed-service fees for end-to-end wastewater treatment. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales: a dedicated sales team targets construction, civil engineering, municipalities, provinces, water boards (Rijkswaterstaat, Province of Zeeland, multiple Gemeenten), and industrial clients (DOW Chemical, PreZero, AVR, AEB Amsterdam under a 10-year agreement), supplemented by content marketing, industry events (Infratech2025), and trade publication coverage. AEC bottom ash feedstocks are sourced from AVR, PreZero, Omrin, ARN, Biostoom Oostende/Beringen, Net Brussels, and IVBO Brugge.

Heros is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Remex GmbH & Co. KG (Düsseldorf), itself part of Remondis — described as Europe's largest recycling company — and ultimately owned by Germany's Rethmann Gruppe. The firm has held a stable shareholder since 2012 and is operating from a single strategic site with recent capital deployment (the 50%-capacity Non-Ferrous Plant expansion, completed June 2026) and committed CO2-reduction targets via the Portiz 'Ambition 2030' initiative.

Name

Heros

Legal name

Heros Sluiskil B.V.

Website

https://heros.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Heros Sluiskil, a Netherlands-based urban-mining processor, converts 1,000,000 tons/year of Waste-to-Energy bottom ash into certified granova building materials and recovers 100,000+ tons of ferrous and non-ferrous metals for construction, civil engineering, government, and industrial clients across Europe and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Recycling and Circular Building Materials

NAICS

Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying (2123)

SIC

Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Mining & Heavy Metals Remediation (Acid Mine Drainage, tailings-impacted sites) (BPALAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Iron Ore Tailings, Waste Management & Reclamation (Closure, Remediation) (IMAKAAAI)

Keywords

• Urban mining services
• Bottom ash processing
• Circular building materials
• Metal recovery recycling
• Secondary raw materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Sluiskil

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Metal Sales: Sale of recovered ferrous and non-ferrous metals (iron, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass, zinc, chromium, nickel, precious metals) to steel mills, aluminum smelters, copper smelters, and stainless steel plants. Metals are traded internationally (Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, Finland, England, Italy, and Asia). Annual scrap processing exceeds 100,000 tons.
2. Secondary Raw Material Sales (granova): Sale of circular building materials under the granova brand: GRANUMIX (concrete replacement), COMBIMIX (foundation mixtures), DRAINMIX (water storage), IMMOMIX (immobilisation). Products serve as substitutes for sand and gravel in construction, civil engineering, and infrastructure projects. Revenue is generated through product sales to construction companies, municipalities, and contractors.
3. Wastewater Treatment Services: Full-service wastewater treatment covering acceptance testing, transport, storage, processing, and controlled discharge of treated water. Services both internal wastewater and external industrial/hazardous wastewater streams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Heros Sluiskil operates a large-scale urban mining facility that processes 1,000,000 tons of Waste-to-Energy (AEC) bottom ash annually into certified circular building materials under the granova brand (GRANUMIX, COMBIMIX, DRAINMIX, IMMOMIX) and recovers ferrous and non-ferrous metals for sale to industrial smelters. The company also provides biological wastewater treatment services covering the full chain from acceptance testing to discharge of treated water.

Product overview

Heros Sluiskil operates as a comprehensive circular economy company offering an integrated portfolio of waste processing and recycling services. The core offering centers on the Granova product line (GRANUMIX, COMBIMIX, DRAINMIX, IMMOMIX) - circular building materials and secondary raw materials derived from processing 1,000,000 tons of Waste-to-Energy bottom ash annually. These materials serve as sustainable alternatives to sand and gravel in construction, concrete production, water management, and civil engineering applications. Supporting the Granova brand are three core service divisions: Metal Reprocessing (recovering ferrous and non-ferrous metals down to 6mm/1mm particles), Metal Trading (buying/selling recovered metals to industrial foundries and smelters), and Water Treatment (biological wastewater processing). A digital Specification Tool assists customers in creating tender documentation. Since 2022, Dolphin Metal Separation (Harderwijk) has been part of Heros, adding sensor separation and robotization capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Granova: Circular building materials and secondary raw materials brand, including GRANUMIX (concrete industry), COMBIMIX (earthworks and civil engineering), DRAINMIX (water storage and sports fields), and IMMOMIX (cementitious foundations)

Products and services

• Granova COMBIMIX Secondary building material highly suitable as a substitute for sand and gravel, applied as foundation mix for road construction, earthworks, civil engineering and hydraulic engineering. Certified by Rijkswaterstaat.
• Granova GRANUMIX Secondary raw material designed for the concrete industry as a sustainable replacement for sand and gravel in concrete and concrete products. Can replace up to 50% of primary raw materials in non-structural concrete.
• Granova DRAINMIX Secondary building material developed for sustainable foundations in locations requiring delayed water drainage, such as squares, parking lots, bicycle paths and sports fields. Features hollow spaces to temporarily store rainwater and slowly drain it into the soil.
• Granova IMMOMIX

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,000,000 tons of AEC bottom ash processed per year into circular building materials and recovered metals
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered ultimate parent, parent company, direct parent, subsidiary / core, core partnership, strategic, partner, industry association, local government partner, vendor, supplier, key customer/supplier and lca partner.

• Rethmann Gruppeultimate parentOthersRethmann Gruppe is one of Germany's largest family-owned companies and the ultimate parent of the group. Remondis, Remex, Rhenus Logistics, and HKS metals fall under the same group, making them sister companies to Heros.
• Remondisparent companyOthersEurope's largest recycling company, based in Germany. Heros operates under Remondis through its subsidiary Remex.
• Remex Groupdirect parentOthersSince 2012, Heros has been part of Remex, a Düsseldorf-based mineral waste management company. Remex is the direct parent entity within the Remondis group.
• Dolphin Metal Separationsubsidiary / coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2022, Dolphin Metal Separation in Harderwijk has been part of Heros Sluiskil. The company deploys high-quality technologies such as sensor separation and robotization to efficiently and responsibly process non-ferrous concentrates through wet reprocessing into directly usable products.
• Stage Gate 11core partnershipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHEROS Sluiskil and Stage Gate 11 joined forces to optimize non-ferrous metal recovery from bottom ash. The collaboration focuses on maximizing recovery efficiency and developing innovations for non-ferrous processing techniques. Heros Academy is involved in building safety and development aspects of the partnership.
• PreZerostrategicTechnology or IntegrationPreZero is a waste processor and partner in the development of DRAINMIX. Heros processes bottom ash from PreZero waste-to-energy plants and co-developed the DRAINMIX product with them as a sustainable foundation material for water drainage applications.
• Tank Terminal SluiskilpartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated at the Ecopark Terneuzen, Tank Terminal Sluiskil enables Heros to receive and temporarily store larger batches of wastewater, expanding Heros' wastewater treatment service capabilities.
• Portiz (Sustainable Ports Initiative)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeros is a member of Portiz, a regional platform in Zeeland's ports. Through participation, Heros commits to investigate and initiate projects with chain partners resulting in sustainability. Heros has committed to the Ambition 2030 goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 6 megatonnes by 2030.
• Bureau of International Recycling (BIR)industry associationOthersHeros is a member of BIR, the global federation of the recycling industry. Heros holds BIR membership and MRF Hallmark.
• Metal Recycling Federation (MRF)industry associationOthersHeros holds MRF certification and hallmark, demonstrating compliance with metal recycling industry standards.
• Municipality of Terneuzenlocal government partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeros has an active cooperation with Municipality of Terneuzen, including the use of granova COMBIMIX for municipal infrastructure projects such as a sustainable roundabout constructed in one weekend.
• Muller EngineeringvendorTechnology or IntegrationMuller Engineering customized the design of Heros' 'Hydra' water truck in detail to meet specific operational requirements for dust suppression, including a 30m3 tank with rapid filling, high-pressure front spray pump with 70+ meter throw length, and efficient terrain management capabilities.
• AVRsupplierOthersAVR is a waste-to-energy plant from which Heros sources AEC bottom ash for processing.
• OmrinsupplierOthersOmrin is a waste management company and bottom ash supplier to Heros.
• ARNsupplierOthersARN is a waste-to-energy plant supplying bottom ash to Heros.
• Biostoom Oostende/BeringensupplierOthersBiostoom Beringen NV and Biostoom Oostende NV supply Waste-to-Energy bottom ash to Heros under a renewed and extended contract. Heros also reprocesses bottom ash from these facilities.
• Net BrusselssupplierOthersNet Brussels (ARP-GAN) is a waste-to-energy plant in Brussels supplying bottom ash to Heros.
• IVBO BruggesupplierOthersIVBO Brugge is a waste-to-energy plant in Belgium supplying bottom ash to Heros.
• AEB Amsterdamkey customer/supplierOthersAEB Amsterdam has a 10-year agreement with Heros for the supply and reprocessing of Waste-to-Energy bottom ash, making it one of Heros' most significant long-term commercial partnerships.
• Ecochainlca partnerTechnology or IntegrationEcochain conducted Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies for the granova product series, providing environmental impact data (LCAs) that are referenced for sustainable procurement criteria (SRI criteria) by government clients.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Befesa: Befesa is a Luxembourg-listed recycler that recovers non-ferrous metals (notably zinc and aluminum) from industrial residues including steel dust and salt slags — a directly comparable metal-from-waste model to Heros's non-ferrous bottom ash recovery.
• INASHCO: INASHCO is a Netherlands-based direct competitor that processes Waste-to-Energy bottom ash to recover ferrous and non-ferrous metals and produce mineral aggregates, operating the same AEC bottom ash value chain as Heros.

Broad incumbents

• HKS Metals: HKS Metals is a sister company within the Rethmann Gruppe, focused on metal recovery and trading, making it a direct functional analogue to Heros's metal reprocessing and trading operations.
• REMONDIS: REMONDIS is Europe's largest recycling company and Heros's ultimate group parent (via Rethmann Gruppe), operating a broad portfolio in metal recycling, bottom ash processing, and circular raw materials that overlaps with Heros's activities.
• Veolia: Veolia is a global environmental services group that processes Waste-to-Energy bottom ash and recovers metals and aggregates at scale across Europe, overlapping with Heros's urban-mining value chain.
• Renewi: Renewi is a UK-listed waste management company with operations in the Netherlands that recovers secondary raw materials from incinerator bottom ash and other waste streams, competing with Heros for downstream material outlets.
• REMEX Group: REMEX is the direct parent of Heros and a Düsseldorf-based mineral waste management company that processes bottom ash and industrial residues into secondary raw materials across Germany and Europe, sharing Heros's circular-economy model.
• SUEZ: SUEZ is a major European environmental services operator with bottom ash processing and metal recovery operations, competing for secondary raw materials offtake in the same markets served by Heros.

Regional players

• PreZero: PreZero is a German waste management company that operates Waste-to-Energy plants and is both a supplier of bottom ash and a co-developer of Heros's DRAINMIX, sitting at the upstream end of Heros's value chain.

Others

• AVR (Afvalverwerking Rijnmond): AVR is a Dutch Waste-to-Energy operator and a key supplier of AEC bottom ash to Heros; while not a direct competitor in reprocessing, it represents the upstream feedstock pool that anchors Heros's 1,000,000-ton plant.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/neutron-x-ray-imaging-systems-pty-ltd

Compliance16 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Heros