Pyrocycle

Pyrocycle is a Canadian cleantech firm established in 2017, focusing on the significant environmental challenge of electronic waste (e-waste). The company was co-founded by Mohamed Khalil, who serves as the President and CEO. His journey with Pyrocycle began during his PhD at Polytechnique Montreal, where he conducted a techno-economic analysis of a new e-waste recycling process. This research, which highlighted high potential profitability and growth, spurred him to enter and win second place in a business idea contest in November 2016, providing initial funding and momentum to launch the startup. He is joined by his former PhD supervisor, Professor Jamal Chaouki, who brings extensive academic and entrepreneurial experience as the Director of Engineering, and Sylvain Savard as the Director of Business Development.

The company operates in the environmental services and cleantech sectors, providing a business-to-business (B2B) solution for recycling e-waste. Pyrocycle's business model centers on its proprietary, patent-pending thermochemical process. This technology is designed to be a cost-effective and environmentally sound alternative to traditional recycling methods like smelting, which can produce toxic emissions. Revenue is generated through the sale of materials recovered from the recycling process. The company targets telecommunication companies and waste recycling facilities as primary clients.

Pyrocycle's core service is a scalable technology that processes end-of-life electronics. The process effectively recovers valuable base and precious metals, including copper, gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. A key feature of the technology is its ability to decontaminate and handle the hazardous plastics found in e-waste, which contain toxic brominated flame retardants. Instead of becoming a source of pollution, these plastics are transformed into value-added products like oil, gas, and carbon black. This approach avoids the creation of carcinogenic dioxins and furans often associated with heating such materials, contributing to a circular economy by turning electronic scrap into valuable resources without creating new environmental hazards.

Keywords: e-waste recycling, thermochemical process, precious metal recovery, circular economy, cleantech, electronic waste management, hazardous waste treatment, plastic decontamination, sustainable materials, resource recovery, gold recycling, copper recovery, industrial recycling solutions, environmental technology, waste-to-value, pyrolysis, Montreal startup, B2B environmental services, electronics recycling