Watercycle Technologies

Watercycle Technologies is a UK-based climate-tech company that spun out of the University of Manchester in 2020. The company was co-founded by CEO Dr. Seb Leaper and CTO Dr. Ahmed Abdelkarim. Dr. Leaper has a background in materials science and was pursuing a PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Manchester, focusing on membrane distillation for water treatment, when he founded the company. Dr. Abdelkarim, an expert in water treatment technologies, met Dr. Leaper while on secondment at the university during his own PhD studies with the National Water Research Centre in Cairo. Their shared interest in applying membrane technology to address global resource challenges led to the formation of the company.

The company designs and builds end-to-end, modular systems that use advanced graphene-based membranes for mineral extraction and water treatment. Its core patented technology, Direct Lithium Extraction and Crystallisation (DLEC™), is designed to sustainably recover critical minerals like lithium from various water sources, including subsurface brines, geothermal brines, industrial wastewater, and end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. A key feature of the process is its efficiency, reducing extraction times from months or years to just minutes or hours. The system selectively captures minerals, purifies them into high-value products like battery-grade lithium carbonate, and generates fresh, potable water as a by-product.

Watercycle Technologies operates on a business-to-business model, targeting clients in the mining, desalination, battery recycling, and other industrial sectors that generate complex wastewater. The company's revenue model involves manufacturing and selling its modular systems, while also being open to licensing its technology. By enabling customers to extract value from waste streams, the company provides an economic incentive for environmental remediation and water treatment. The technology has gained international recognition, leading to partnerships and pilot projects, such as a collaboration with Cornish Lithium and selection by Chile's state-owned mining body, ENAMI, to demonstrate its technology. The company has secured significant funding, including a pre-seed round in 2022, and a $5.6 million Series A round in November 2024, led by Par Equity, to scale up and commercially deploy its systems.

Keywords: mineral extraction, water treatment, graphene membranes, lithium recovery, battery recycling, circular economy, desalination, DLEC, hydrometallurgy, sustainable mining, cleantech, resource recovery, wastewater valorization, critical minerals, brine processing, geothermal lithium, water purification, Manchester spinout, Seb Leaper, Ahmed Abdelkarim