TOKYO—MOL PLUS (CEO: Takuya Sakamoto; Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo) today announced its investment in Emulsion Flow Technologies Ltd. (EFT; President: Hiroshi Suzuki; Headquarters: Tokai, Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture), a company that develops business centered on the recovery and recycling of rare metals.
Rare metals will play a key role in supporting a future society that is increasingly electrified, relying on materials such as lithium, used in the batteries of electric vehicles, but are currently jeopardized under the threat of a supply shortage.
Using Emulsion Flow (Note 1), a technology that is capable of extracting high-purity rare metals with solvent in a highly productive, low-cost, and environmentally friendly manner, EFT offers a practical approach to the recovery and reuse of rare metals contained in lithium-ion batteries, which previously could only be achieved on a large scale and in an intensive process. The company will benefit society by providing this service at an early stage with a small-scale distributed system before the market emerges. It is also considering the use of this technology for the separation and recovery of environmental pollutants, such as the purification of industrial wastewater.
MOL PLUS is pleased to participate in this fundraising in the hope that EFT’s initiatives will make a significant contribution to solving the social issue of resource scarcity associated with the mining of rare metal resources. MOL PLUS will collaborate with EFT and its partners to build a supply chain, especially in Southeast Asia and India, to realize the circular economy of resources together with EFT.
MOL PLUS continually works to generate synergetic effects based on startup companies’ innovative ideas and technologies and the MOL Group’s resources through investment in and collaboration with startups, aiming to create new businesses PLUS new value to the ocean shipping industry and society.
＜Outline of EFT＞
Website：https://emulsion-flow.tech/en/
(Note 1) About Emulsion Flow Technology
Emulsion Flow is one of the solvent extraction methods developed by JAEA. The revolutionary technology enables ideal solvent extraction with only simple feeding liquid and stirring, in contrast to the conventional solvent extraction technique mixer-settler that requires the three steps of “mixing”, “settling” and “separating” liquid phases.
Emulsion Flow, which is highly efficient compared to conventional mixer-settler, realizes downsizing of solvent extraction plants and enables refining of high-purity rare metals at a low cost.
For further information, please contact:
MOL PLUS (website: https://en.molplus.net/)
Tel: +81-3-3587-7643/Email: molplus@molgroup.com