After transforming the indigo dyeing process in the denim industry, the Valais-based company RedElec Technologies SA is taking on a new challenge: recovering valuable metals from industrial liquid waste. A first pilot project has been launched in collaboration with Satom SA, the waste-to-energy plant in Monthey.
“The principle of recovering dissolved metals through electrochemical processes has been known for decades,” explains David Crettenand, CEO of RedElec Technologies. “What has held the industry back is not the science itself, but the difficulty of applying it to real, complex mixtures. When several metals, organic compounds, or heterogeneous matrices are present, electrochemistry is often deemed unfeasible.”
Bridging lab electrochemistry and industrial scale
With more than twenty years of expertise, RedElec specializes in scaling complex electrochemical processes from laboratory proof-of-concept to robust industrial implementation. “Our core competence is bringing electrochemical innovation out of the lab and into production-scale environments,” notes Crettenand. “We demonstrated this capability in the denim industry, where we not only industrialized the process but also built the entire value chain around it.”
This track record now underpins RedElec’s move into metal recovery from demanding effluents that many actors still consider technically intractable.
A modular technology for complex effluents
RedElec’s latest approach integrates several custom-designed electrochemical reactors into a modular treatment line for complex liquid waste streams. An electro-Fenton unit first releases metals that are complexed with organic molecules. A subsequent concentration reactor captures these metals, even at low concentrations. A final recovery module then converts them into pure, reusable metal powders.
This combined reactor architecture enables the treatment of effluents that were previously classified as “too complex” for electrochemical metal recovery, including highly acidic or organics-rich streams.
Driving circular value in waste valorisation
Partnering with Satom marks a strategic step toward embedding circular economy principles in regional waste management infrastructure. “Waste-to-energy facilities are uniquely positioned to contribute to metal recovery,” says Crettenand. “After pioneering work abroad, our goal is to establish a strong, local value chain before scaling internationally. Closing the loop locally is the essence of a circular economy.”
The initiative is also aligned with evolving Swiss federal requirements that call for increased recovery rates of metals from municipal waste streams, reinforcing both the environmental and regulatory relevance of the project.
Market prospects across Swiss industry
Beyond Satom, RedElec’s technology addresses a broad range of Swiss industrial applications, including chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing, surface treatment operations, and metal recovery from road sweepings and contaminated soils. In the longer term, international mining and metallurgical operators could deploy this solution as a cleaner alternative to selected hydrometallurgical steps.
“The energy transition has turned metals into strategic resources,” Crettenand observes. “Everywhere, the focus is shifting from disposal to recovery and recirculation.”
Toward a deployable industrial unit
RedElec is now engineering its first containerized pilot unit, a modular system designed for rapid deployment and adaptation to different effluent profiles. Supported by the Swiss Climate Foundation, this pilot will be validated on several industrial sites. To overcome hesitancy around capital-intensive installations, RedElec plans to propose flexible business models such as rental schemes or pay-per-volume contracts.
The company’s development is further supported by Innosuisse, in the framework of its collaboration with HES-SO Valais–Wallis, and by the long-standing accompaniment of The Ark Foundation. “If we want this technology to have real impact on decarbonization and circular economy objectives, we must join forces with committed industrial and financial partners,” concludes Crettenand. “The potential is significant, and the opportunity for a clean, credible Swiss-made solution is now.”
➡️ More information: www.redelec.ch
