RETRACER®
TECHNOLOGY
Recovering valuable materials for a second use
RETRACER® is Tracegrow’s hydrometallurgical technology platform for recovering and purifying valuable materials from recycled and industrial sources.
Instead of relying solely on newly mined raw materials, RETRACER® enables selected elements already present in existing material streams to be recovered, refined and returned to productive use.
The technology is already used in Tracegrow’s commercial production of circular micronutrient fertilisers and is being developed further for battery-material applications.
WHAT RETRACER® ENABLES
There are valuable materials already above ground.
RETRACER® recovers them, purifies them and puts them back to work.
KEEP VALUABLE MATERIALS IN USE
Recover materials from recycled and industrial sources and return them to productive use instead of losing their remaining value.
REDUCE THE NEED FOR NEW EXTRACTION
Use materials that have already been mined, reducing dependence on additional primary extraction and its environmental impact.
TURN SECONDARY STREAMS INTO RAW MATERIAL SOURCES
Recover and purify valuable materials from suitable secondary streams for reuse in new applications and value chains.
ENABLE CIRCULAR PRODUCTS AT INDUSTRIAL SCALE
Turn circularity from a waste-management concept into commercial products for markets such as agriculture and battery materials.
SUPPORT MORE STABLE SOURCING AND PRICING
Use secondary material streams to reduce exposure to volatile global raw-material markets and improve supply predictability.
BUILD MORE RESILIENT EU SUPPLY CHAINS
Recover valuable materials from EU sources and reduce dependence on imported primary raw materials.
CIRCULAR MATERIAL RECOVERY
Many industrial and consumer material streams still contain valuable elements after their original use. Recovering those materials can reduce waste, retain material value and decrease dependence on additional primary extraction.
RETRACER® is designed around this principle: recover useful elements from suitable secondary sources, purify them and return them to a new value chain.
HYDROMETALLURGICAL TECHNOLOGY
RETRACER® uses hydrometallurgical processes to selectively recover and purify target materials from complex feedstocks.
The platform can be developed for different feedstocks, target elements and product requirements. Key recovery and purification processes within the technology are protected by Tracegrow’s intellectual property.
Agriculture
RETRACER® is already used commercially to recover materials for Tracegrow’s micronutrient fertilisers.
Recovered manganese and zinc are purified and returned to agriculture as high-quality nutrient products, demonstrating how secondary raw materials can be transformed into products with a new productive use.
BATTERY MATERIALS
RETRACER® is also being developed for the recovery and purification of manganese for battery-material applications.
Through REDO-M®, Tracegrow is developing battery-grade manganese sulphate from European recycled sources, extending the same circular-material principle into the battery value chain.
DEVELOPING THE NEXT MATERIAL LOOP
RETRACER® provides a technology platform for recovering valuable materials from suitable secondary feedstocks.
Tracegrow works with partners across material supply, processing and end-use applications to develop new circular material streams.
