E-waste specialist Bioscope Technologies has signed up Techbuyer, which refurbishes and resells servers and other data center equipment, as an early adopter of its novel bioleaching solution.

Techbuyer has been supplying printed circuit boards (PCBs) to Bioscope’s bio-refinery in Cambridge, UK, to enable the recovery of precious and base metals using the bioleaching processes.

Bioscope’s bacteria-based bioleaching and bio-refining technologies are focused on recovering a wide range of precious and strategic metals, including gold, silver, palladium, and copper from PCBs,

“When I heard how Bioscope were exploring how bioleaching can be used to recover precious metals from e-waste, I knew we would want to be involved as part of our commitment to emerging technologies,” said Paul Thorogood, resource recovery manager at Techbuyer, which works with businesses across the UK, as well as in Europe and the US.

“Being a part of the journey right from the start means we are perfectly placed to see how the technology develops over time.”

Astrid Wynne, Techbuyer’s head of sustainability and public sector, added: “Bioscope is a great recycling partner for Techbuyer because it is at the cutting edge of improving material recovery at end of life for IT hardware. Its success is our success; it furthers the circular economy.”

Bioscope is a spin-out from e-waste business n2s, and was set up to commercialize the bioleaching process. The company believes it can help UK businesses dispose of IT equipment in a sustainable manner, as well as cut costs associated with shipping old hardware to countries in the Far East for disposal.

Jeff Borrman, CEO of Bioscope Technologies, said: “We are delighted to have Techbuyer as one of our first customers for our PCB bioleaching solution. We are also pleased with board yield rates in terms of metals recovered for achieving maximum market value.”