Mitsubishi invests in electronics recycling technology

Mitsubishi Corp. has agreed to acquire shares in DEScycle Ltd., a London-based company that has developed technology designed to recover metal from obsolete electronics.

DEScycle possesses proprietary technology that can selectively dissolve metals at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, according to Mitsubishi, and the two companies will enter into a strategic business partnership to "foster collaboration."

The companies anticipate the technology will be able to recover metals with significantly lower energy consumption and environmental impact compared to conventional smelting methods.

The new funding for DEScycle will support the construction and operation of a pilot plant in the United Kingdom, according to the companies.

Following a demonstration phase, a commercial-scale plant with an annual processing capacity of approximately 5,000 tons is scheduled to begin operating in the U.K. in 2028, with plans to then expand to North America, Japan and other regions.

Mitsubishi says it will call upon its trading expertise and industry network to undertake marketing activities for metal products such as copper and precious metals recovered the electronic scrap processed via DEScycle technology.

The value of electronic scrap as an urban mine has grown in recent years, according to Mitsubishi, which notes the "rapid expansion" of data centers is expected to increase the volume of e-scrap generated in the future. In a photo accompanying the announcement, Mitsubishi shows printed circuit boards as an example of such scrap.

DEScycle says its technology uses an “eco-friendly class of chemistry” involving deep eutectic solvents (DES). These substances recyclable liquid salts that allow for low-temperature, low-energy operations, resulting in low-carbon, low-impact metals recycling.

The two firms say their mission is to commercialize “a clearly differentiated recycling technology with industry leading costs, performance, environmental impact and transparency.”