Circular Economy

Platinum group metals (PGM) are critical raw materials (CRM) that are used across multiple industries and in countless applications including but not limited to autocatalytic converters, jewellery, glassware, petrochemical refining, electronics, biomedical, pharmaceuticals, dental implants etc. The primary supply of PGM, through the mining of PGM ores, makes up about 70% of the global supply of PGM. The two dominant producers of PGM are South Africa and Russia, supplying 85% of the mining output of PGM - this leads to a monopoly of the supply chain and price gouging. Recycling PGM-containing waste offers advantages of addressing the supply deficit with less environmental impact compared to mining. However, conventional recycling methods suffer from high energy costs due to high processing temperature of about 1500 oC and requires downstream processing to treat waste which demands higher capital expenditure. Furthermore, the high processing temperatures results in high-value raw materials being burnt in the process and releasing harmful toxins. This technology offer is a novel biorecovery method that incorporates and modifies a series of different biochemical and biological processes in a simple 3-stage process as opposed to the multi-tiered stages of the current conventional methods used in industry. It offers the following advantages over the competition: Consumes 6x less energy 3x cheaper to operate Capable of recovering different PGM simultaneously with high yield even from low-grade waste This technology allows companies to recycle their spent catalyst in a truly green and sustainable manner.

Spent coffee grounds are one of the major food waste produced globally with several million tonnes being discarded annually. It has been reported that only 6% of the original coffee cherry can be used to make a cup of coffee and the remaining balance are inedible and has no value to the industry. As such, a large amount of residue is currently generated from the coffee industry and disposed of at incineration plants or landfills.   This technology features a cost-effective and scalable thermochemical process to transform spent coffee grounds into carbon-rich solid materials, known as hydrochar, as a form of low-cost solid adsorbents for industrial wastewater treatment. Thermochemical processes are well suited for wet biomass such as spent coffee grounds and utilises mild temperature profiles under relatively low pressures. The process also has the potential to convert other kinds of food waste, such as durian husks, coconut husks, fruit peels etc, into hydrochar.This presents a sustainable solution for creating a circular economy and minimising negative impact on the environment by converting non-edible and no value food waste into a value-added product for food and water industries.