REEgen secures $200,000 grant for biological rare earth recovery. US startup REEgen has been awarded a $200,000 grant from New York State to advance its biological rare earth recovery technology. The company uses engineered bacteria to extract critical metals from industrial byproducts such as slag and e-waste, replacing conventional chemical processes.
The funding, from Empire State Development's NYSTAR programme, is linked to an existing $1.1m National Science Foundation project and will support the deployment of REEgen's BioREEcover system in industrial settings. The Cornell University spinout, which participated in Batch 9 of Germany's Circular Valley accelerator programme, plans to use the grant to secure commercial partnerships and launch its first on-site recovery unit.
The UK processed 4.013 million tonnes of waste wood in 2025, 89 per cent of the total generated, according to annual statistics from the Wood Recyclers' Association. The figure is down 7.3 per cent on 2024 after unplanned outages at end-use plants created oversupply and squeezed storage.
recell.store, the Altilium-owned marketplace for used EV batteries, has partnered with testing firm ClearWatt to offer battery health assessments to salvage yards and dismantlers. A pilot will use ClearWatt's EV Flash Test to generate independent health data supporting marketplace transactions.
Packaging firm Pact Group has invested in Plan B Circular, the UK textile-to-textile polyester recycler behind Project Re:claim, its joint venture with the Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCoL). The deal aims to scale polyester recycling ahead of EU legislation expected in 2028.