PLUG-&-PLAY
Drop‑in to existing e‑waste recycling pipelines.
BIOENGINEERED CIRCULARITY FOR CRITICAL METALS
RARE EARTH ELEMENTS BACK IN THE LOOP
CaptuREE designs protein-based filters that recover rare earth elements directly from existing e‑waste recycling pipelines, turning residues into strategic resources instead of waste.
REEs recycled today
< 1 %
Less than one percent of rare earth elements are recovered from electronic waste worldwide.
Value lost each year
$62 B
Billions in high‑value REEs end up in landfills, slags, and sludges instead of new devices.
Our ambition
FROM 0 → 1
Make REE recovery the default step in recycling, not an afterthought.
Talk to us
Download one‑pager
Looking for pilot partners in Europe across e‑waste, magnet, and precious‑metal recycling.
SELECTIVE REE CAPTURE
PROTEIN-BASED LANTHANIDES RECOVERY
Our modular filters use engineered metal‑binding proteins that recognise rare earth elements in metal‑rich streams, enabling efficient selective capture – no organic solvents or hundreds of extraction cycles needed.
SEAMLESS INTEGRATION
Designed for industrial leachates and tailored to your hardware.
SELECTIVE CAPTURE
Engineered metal‑binding proteins recognise REE‑rich streams with high specificity.
NO FUSS. JUST CAPTUREE.
WHY RARE EARTHS MATTER
A CRITICAL RESOURCE, WASTED
Rare earth elements power smartphones, wind turbines, EV motors, LEDs, and semiconductors, yet the world still mines them as if they were disposable while recycling hardly touches them.
17 ELEMENTS, ONE SYSTEMIC PROBLEM
Today, most rare earth elements are mined and refined in a handful of regions, with China still dominating extraction and processing. Mining and separation are energy‑intensive and often rely on harsh chemicals, leaving behind contaminated soils, water, and large volumes of toxic waste.
At the same time, electronic waste volumes keep growing. Devices are designed for short lifetimes and rapid replacement, yet less than a percent of their rare earth content is recovered, representing tens of billions of dollars in lost material every year and a missed opportunity for climate‑aligned supply chains.
STRUCTURALLY INEFFICIENT RECYCLING
Along the e‑waste chain, stakeholders optimise for precious metals and bulk materials. Consumers and OEMs feed devices into collection systems; pre‑treatment facilities shred, sort, and sell high‑value fractions to smelters and refiners; these actors focus on copper, gold, and other metals, while rare earths drift into process residues and wastewater.
Existing REE recyclers mostly buy selected high‑grade scrap streams, competing over limited feedstocks and leaving low‑grade flows untouched. The result: valuable REEs are lost, transport and processing emissions are higher than needed, and our dependence on primary mining persists.
OUR APPROACH
BIOENGINEERED FILTERS FOR RARE EARTHS
CaptuREE integrates directly into existing hydrometallurgical lines, capturing rare earths where smelters and refiners already dissolve metals into acidic process streams. No greenfield plants, no disruptive redesign of the collection system – just smarter recovery at the heart of the process.
1
PROTEIN-COATED FILTER MEDIA
We design polymeric filter materials coated with rare‑earth‑binding proteins that exhibit high affinity and selectivity for lanthanides in complex mixtures, inspired by state‑of‑the‑art biomolecular separation research.
2
DROP‑IN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
The cartridges operate in the same acidic leachates that recyclers already use for base and precious metals, enabling rare earth capture in existing columns and reactors with minimal hardware changes or downtime.
3
CIRCULAR, EUROPEAN SUPPLY
By turning residues into feedstock, European recyclers and OEMs gain a local, resilient source of high‑purity rare earths that aligns with the EU’s Critical Raw Materials ambitions and reduces exposure to export caps and monopolies.
FROM LAB TO INDUSTRY
CaptuREE’s filters are engineered to withstand industrial conditions while maintaining high selectivity and capacity, bridging the gap between cutting‑edge academic research and robust industrial hardware.
DESIGNED FOR REAL FLOWS
INSIDE THE E‑WASTE RECYCLING LINE
CaptuREE slots into the process that recyclers already trust: shredding, sorting, leaching, and metal recovery. We simply add a dedicated, selective step for rare earths – right where they are currently unexploited.
STEP 01
SHREDDING & PRE‑TREATMENT
End‑of‑life electronics are shredded; plastics are separated from metals, and high‑value fractions are sent to smelters and hydrometallurgical plants. Today, this step ignores the rare earth content embedded in magnets, LEDs, and semiconductor components.
STEP 02
ACIDIC METAL LEACHING
Metal fractions are dissolved in acidic solutions, yielding a dense cocktail of base, precious, and rare earth ions. Recyclers recover copper, gold, and other metals through established processes; rare earths, however, still slip through as “waste” ions.
STEP 03
CAPTUREE FILTER INSERTION
Our protein‑coated filter is installed in these same circuits. As the leach solution passes through, rare earth elements bind selectively to the proteins and can later be desorbed, oxidised, and integrated into the same refining workflow as other recovered metals.
IMPACT & POLICY
SUSTAINABLE RARE EARTH SUPPLY
CaptuREE turns e‑waste into a local resource, aligning industrial practice with climate goals and the EU’s Critical Raw Materials agenda while operating within planetary boundaries.
LOCAL, RESILIENT SUPPLY
By recovering rare earths already circulating in Europe’s devices and waste streams, recyclers can supply OEMs with high‑purity, low‑footprint materials, reducing dependence on distant mines and refining hubs.
LOWER ENVIRONMENTAL COST
Protein‑based capture avoids many solvents and extreme conditions used in conventional REE separation, cutting emissions and pollution compared with mining new ores for the same metals.
REGENERATIVE, DISTRIBUTIVE
Our model channels value back to local recyclers and manufacturers, helping build an economy where industrial growth is decoupled from ever‑increasing extraction and where materials cycle within safe ecological limits.
CAPTUREE'S VISION
VALUES
At CaptuREE, we believe that values shape not only the way the company itself is built, but also and most importantly, they shape the legacy we will leave behind. We root our work in Sustainability, Innovation, Reliability, Accountability, Efficiency, and Proactivity. These are more than simply our values: they represent the pillars we will use to shape Europe's electronics manufacturing future.
1
SUSTAINABILITY
We believe that sustainable development means much more than working towards meeting sustainability goals or conforming to the "Doughnut business model". For us, sustainable development means innovating around existing infrastructures, and in doing so, moving beyond physical boundaries, creating value whereby none was thought left.
2
INNOVATION
At CaptuREE, we are committed to fostering innovations that will revolutionise the e-waste recycling sector. By combining synthetic biology, material sciences and protein engineering, we are set to lay the groundwork for the industrialisation of bio-manufacturing, ultimately leading to outstanding efficiency and innovations.
3
RELIABILITY
We want to revolutionise every aspect of the REE supply chain. We believe we can only do so by fostering collaboration and co-creation with e-waste recyclers and metal smelters - fundamental stakeholders we aim to serve and value. We offer customisable integration of REE-recovery technology in your existing recycling pipeline, with reliable and on-demand maintenance to guarantee optimal efficiency of the system.
4
ACCOUNTABILITY
We believe responsible actions to be the basis for a sustainable work environment. Making mistakes is encouraged, as long as learning moments follow. Taking accountability over own mistakes promotes growth, which we believe is fundamental for proactive and efficient work ethic. As a company, we do the same with our technology. Innovative solutions require trial and error, learning from past mistakes, and building something better and greater, time after time, until we reach perfection.
5
EFFICIENCY
We do not believe in 9-5, "stay-in-the-railways" work ethic. We respect and welcome everyone's differences, and accommodate personal needs when it comes to working hours - that is, as long as the work is carried out efficiently and productively. We do not accept nor make excuses for slacking, while encouraging productivity through allowing flexibility in the working space. Taking a break to go for a run, climbing, or cycling is not only allowed but praised! Movement encourages focus. Focus builds work. Hard work fosters innovation.
6
PROACTIVITY
Despite hierarchy is within the backbone of any company, we want to foster proactivity at every level. When it comes to innovative ideas, we believe in a horizontal approach, and we encourage anyone to speak up - a good innovation must jump out of the conceptual space and into the physical ether. All ideas will be heard, the good ones will become.
WHO WE ARE
THE CAPTUREE TEAM
We are Chloé, Julien, and Emma – a team of molecular biology and bioengineering students combining protein engineering, experimental design, and entrepreneurship to build real‑world infrastructure for rare earth circularity.
EXPERIMENTAL MASTER
CTO – CFO
Leads molecular biology and experimental design, translating conceptual frameworks into robust, testable filter architectures implementable in real industrial conditions.
BIOENGINEER & BUILDER
CEO – CTO
Combines protein engineering, synthetic biology, and a business‑oriented mindset to connect scientific innovation with investors, industry partners, and policy incentives.
SWISS KNIFE
COO – CMO
Drives communication, outreach, and web presence, keeping partners aligned and the project organised from lab bench to stakeholder meetings.
OUR STORY
CaptuREE started from a simple observation: rare earths are everywhere in modern devices, yet almost never recovered at end‑of‑life. Our passion for synthetic biology led us to ask how metal‑binding proteins could turn this missed opportunity into a scalable, plug‑and‑play technology for recyclers.
Alongside recognition in international competitions and venture programmes, we are building partnerships with recyclers across Europe and tapping into Switzerland’s unique biotech ecosystem to de‑risk the path from lab prototype to industrial pilot.
LET’S CAPTUREE RARE EARTHS.
TOGETHER.
We are currently looking for industrial partners, research collaborators, and mission‑aligned investors to co‑develop pilots for protein‑based rare earth recovery from e‑waste and metal‑rich residues.
Contact at contact@CaptuREE.ch | Tel: +41 (0) 78 230 7478 – Or you can meet us at the E-Waste World Expo 2026 in Frankfurt!