Qarlbo Energy invests in Refinyx

Qarlbo Energy has invested in Refinyx, a new company founded by the senior team behind Northvolt Revolt to recover critical raw materials on an industrial scale. Refinyx has acquired Northvolt's 134-patent technology portfolio for battery recycling and its pilot facility in Västerås, Sweden.

"There is a rapidly growing need for technology that can recover critical raw materials efficiently, competitively and sustainably. Refinyx has processes proven at industrial scale, and we are seeing strong interest from industrial companies in building and operating these types of facilities. Qarlbo Energy brings industrial expertise, capital and the long-term commitment that this kind of scaling requires." says Michel Thomas, CEO of Qarlbo Energy.

Refinyx serves as a technology and engineering partner to industrial operators with the capacity to build and run large-scale recycling facilities. The technology platform recovers nickel, cobalt and lithium, and is being expanded to cover rare earths, phosphorus and other strategic materials. The company has signed an agreement with its first major customer in the US. Qarlbo Energy will take an active, long-term ownership role as Refinyx scales its operations.

Demand for critical materials recovery technology is growing as the US restricts exports of black mass, the metal-rich material from end-of-life batteries, and the EU sets targets to expand its own recycling and processing capacity. Refinyx’s technology platform was developed over eight years at Northvolt Revolt, including through the construction and operation of the battery recycling plantin Skellefteå, Sweden. It has demonstrated at industrial scale that it can produce battery-grade materials ready for direct reuse in new batteries, without shipping half-refined material to Asia for final upgrading.

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