Altero

What Altero does

Altero S.A.S. is a Colombian battery recycling technology company that has developed and patented a direct (non-pyrometallurgical, non-hydrometallurgical) recycling process for lithium-ion, polymer lithium, and nickel metal hydride batteries. The technology is described as globally unique, recovers more than 98% of battery materials, requires no chemical reagents, no nitrogen atmosphere, and no prior battery discharge, and is certified as producing no solid, liquid, or greenhouse-gas emissions. The company operates a single production plant in Guarne, Antioquia (KM 25 Autopista Medellín-Bogotá) with stated throughput capacity of approximately 1,000 tons of batteries per year, and converts recovered streams into three commercial product lines: Black Mass (cathode/anode precursor for cobalt, lithium, nickel, and graphite recovery), Copper/Aluminum Mixture (Zorba), and Electrolytes (organic solvents with lithium salts).

Altero monetizes through service fees for battery recycling and transformation, and through the sale of recovered strategic materials to international battery supply chains. Its customer base is bifurcated: an enterprise side targeting battery manufacturers and electronics OEMs requiring sustainable inputs of cobalt, lithium, and nickel, and a direct-to-consumer "Recycle with us" program for end-of-life consumer electronics, with all sales driven through direct contact (WhatsApp, phone, web inquiry). Go-to-market is essentially inside sales supplemented by PR in Colombian media outlets (Semana, Portafolio, Forbes, RCN, Caracol, El Espectador) and organic social. Distribution is primarily domestic Colombia-based with global export of recovered mineral products. The company is privately held, led by CEO Andrea Alzate, with disclosed early-stage backing from Actions Capital (formerly K50 Ventures) and no publicly reported institutional investors or follow-on rounds beyond the initial seed event.

Name

Altero

Legal name

Altero S.A.S.

Website

https://altero.com.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Altero is a Colombian battery recycling technology company that uses a patented direct recycling process to recover lithium, cobalt, nickel, and other critical materials from lithium-ion batteries without chemical reagents or emissions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Battery Recycling and Materials Recovery

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Lithium-ion Battery Recycling (Mechanical, Hydro, Direct Recycling) (EUAIAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Battery Recycling & Materials Recovery (Li-ion, LFP, Flow, Lead-Acid) (EUAMALAE), Collection, Logistics & Reverse Supply Chain (Transport, Sorting, Tracking) (EUAFACAA), Mechanical Recycling & Materials Separation (Crushing, Sieving, Physical Separation) (EUAFACAC)

Keywords

• Lithium-ion battery recycling
• Battery materials recovery
• Critical minerals extraction
• Circular economy batteries
• Electronic waste management

Headquarters

HQ city

Guarne

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Battery Recycling and Transformation Services: Altero provides recycling and transformation services for all types of lithium-ion batteries, recovering strategic materials like cobalt, lithium, nickel, and graphite that are reintegrated into battery manufacturing supply chains

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Altero develops and operates patented non-conventional technology for recycling and transforming end-of-life lithium-ion, polymer lithium, and nickel metal hydride batteries. The company recovers strategic materials — including cobalt, lithium, nickel, graphite, copper, and aluminum — and sells them as Black Mass precursor, Copper/Aluminum Mixture (Zorba), and Electrolytes for reintegration into battery manufacturing supply chains. It also accepts consumer e-waste (cell phones, computers, tablets, toys, electronic tools) through a direct collection program.

Product overview

Altero is a battery recycling technology company offering a direct recycling process for Li-Ion batteries that does not use chemical reagents. The company's product portfolio consists of three strategic recovered material product lines: Black Mass (precursor material for new battery manufacture containing cathode/anode materials for cobalt, lithium, nickel, and graphite recovery), Copper/Aluminum Mixture (Zorba - high purity metals for new cells or other processes), and Electrolytes (organic solvents and lithium salts). The company also provides battery recycling and transformation services for various battery types including prismatic, cylindrical, cylindrical lithium-ion, nickel metal hydride, and lithium polymer batteries, with a patented technology that claims to recover more than 98% of battery materials without producing solid, liquid, or greenhouse gas waste.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Black Mass (Masa Negra) A mixture of materials from the anode and cathode of recycled batteries that can be directly included in the manufacture of new batteries or processed to obtain high-value materials such as cobalt, lithium, nickel, and graphite. Targeted at battery manufacturers and the electrification industry supply chain.
• Copper/Aluminum Mixture (Zorba) Copper and aluminum sheets recovered from batteries in high degrees of purity, used to manufacture new cells or replace demand for these metals in other industrial processes. Targeted at battery manufacturers and metals processors.
• Electrolytes A mixture of organic solvents and lithium salts recovered from Li-Ion batteries, separated as part of Altero's transformation process for the electrification industry. Targeted at battery manufacturers and electrolyte processors.
• Battery Recycling and Transformation Services Recycling and transformation services for all types of lithium-ion batteries, including prismatic, cylindrical, polymer lithium, and nickel metal hydride batteries. Recovers strategic materials and reduces mining extraction, targeting enterprises requiring sustainable end-of-life battery processing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Recovers more than 98% of materials present in lithium-ion batteries
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ascend Elements: Ascend Elements is a US-based lithium-ion battery recycling and engineered materials company that converts Black Mass into battery-grade cathode active material. It is directly comparable to Altero in targeting the same upstream battery materials supply chain through advanced recycling.
• Li-Cycle: Li-Cycle is a leading North American lithium-ion battery recycler operating a 'spoke-and-hub' network that produces Black Mass feedstock. It is directly comparable to Altero as both companies take end-of-life Li-ion cells and recover cathode/anode materials for reintroduction into the battery supply chain.
• Redwood Materials: Redwood Materials is a US-based battery recycling company founded by former Tesla executive JB Straubel that recovers critical materials (cobalt, nickel, lithium) from end-of-life batteries and manufactures anode/cathode materials domestically. It competes with Altero in recovering strategic materials from Li-ion batteries at industrial scale.
• Cirba Solutions: Cirba Solutions operates one of North America's largest battery recycling and materials recovery networks, processing lithium-ion, nickel-metal hydride, and lead-acid batteries. Its focus on collection logistics, materials recovery and ESG compliance mirrors Altero's full-service battery recycling model.

Broad incumbents

• Glencore: Glencore is a major global commodities trader and recycler of cobalt, nickel and other battery metals with industrial-scale battery recycling assets across Europe. It is comparable to Altero as a downstream buyer/supplier of recovered battery materials, though it operates across many commodities rather than specializing in Li-ion recycling.
• Umicore: Umicore is a global materials technology and recycling group with a dedicated battery materials and recycling business that recovers cobalt, nickel, and lithium from spent batteries. As a broad incumbent operating across multiple industrial sectors, it overlaps with Altero's positioning as a strategic-materials recycler for the battery supply chain.

Others

• ReCell Center / Argonne ReCell: Argonne National Laboratory's ReCell Center is a US DOE-funded research consortium developing lithium-ion battery recycling technologies including direct recycling methods. While not a commercial competitor, it is thematically related to Altero as a developer of non-conventional, reagent-free recycling processes for Li-ion batteries.

Emerging players

• Princeton NuEnergy: Princeton NuEnergy (PNE) is a US-based startup commercializing a direct recycling process for lithium-ion batteries that recovers cathode materials without chemical reagents, similar in approach to Altero's patented non-conventional 'direct' process. It is an emerging peer pursuing the same technical niche in a different geography.
• Aqua Metals: Aqua Metals is a US-based battery recycling company developing a hydrometallurgical, low-emission process for recovering lithium-ion battery materials. It overlaps with Altero in targeting clean recycling of Li-ion batteries and reintegration of recovered materials into the supply chain, but uses a different core chemistry.
• OnTo Technology: OnTo Technology is a US-based clean-tech company advancing direct cathode recycling and battery healing/reuse technologies for lithium-ion batteries. Its emphasis on direct recycling without chemical reagents makes it a relevant emerging peer to Altero's non-conventional recycling approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Altero.sostenible
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alterarsostenible
• Instagraminstagram.com/altero.sostenible

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Altero