BioMetallica Biocyanide Green Metal Recovery

BioMetallica is a Singapore-headquartered circular metals company founded in 2022 by CEO Ir. Dr. Kwadwo Ansah-Antwi, with R&D in Hong Kong and deployment in the Philippines. It targets low-cost, lower-impact recovery of precious metals, platinum group metals and rare earths from complex waste streams that conventional smelting or chemical cyanide leaching handle poorly. It was selected for Imagine H2O Asia's sixth cohort in 2025.

Its modular platform combines feedstock-agnostic pre-treatment, on-site biocyanide produced on demand by engineered microorganisms so no chemical cyanide is transported or stored, green hydrometallurgy for selective leaching and recovery, and bioremediation that converts residual cyanide into non-toxic products while recycling up to 90% of process water. Feedstocks include e-waste, spent autocatalysts, mine tailings, incineration ash, motors and magnets and solar panels, yielding gold, silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium, rare earths and silicon. Customers include recyclers and waste processors running paid pilots.

• Feedstock-agnostic pre-treatment: mechanical treatment, beneficiation and chemical conditioning for variable waste streams.
• On-site biocyanide: engineered microorganisms produce cyanide on demand, avoiding transport and storage.
• Green hydrometallurgy: selective leaching and recovery of gold, silver, platinum group metals and rare earths.
• Bioremediation: residual cyanide converted into non-toxic products.
• Water recycling: up to 90% of process water reused.
• Process Analyzer and modular units: scalable systems with granted and pending patents.

Licensed e-waste recyclers in Vietnam can pilot biocyanide leaching to recover gold and palladium from circuit boards without storing chemical cyanide. Mining companies can reprocess gold tailings to extract residual metals. Solar farm operators and recyclers can recover silver and silicon from decommissioned panels.

Generating cyanide biologically on site removes the risks and permits tied to transporting and storing chemical cyanide. The company states its process uses less energy and fewer reagents with higher selectivity than conventional routes, and recycles up to 90% of process water. Residual cyanide is biologically converted to non-toxic products, cutting wastewater discharge and environmental liability. One feedstock-agnostic line can handle varied waste streams.

Southeast Asia generates fast-growing volumes of e-waste, spent catalysts and end-of-life solar panels, while demand for secure supplies of precious metals and rare earths is rising. Regulators are tightening controls on chemical cyanide and informal recycling, opening room for safer, water-efficient urban mining technologies.

BioMetallica was founded in 2022 and is headquartered in Singapore, with operations in Hong Kong and the Philippines. Its timeline lists funding and scale-up in 2024 and 2025 and commercial deployments in 2026. It was named in Cleantech 50 to Watch 2025, joined Imagine H2O Asia Cohort 6, and shows ecosystem logos including GIZ, UNIDO and the Philippine Board of Investments. Deployment partners include EMPI in the Philippines and Shanaya Group in Singapore.