31 Aug PROMETIA Welcomes exære as a New Member
PROMETIA is pleased to welcome exære as a new member of the network.
Based in Hamburg, Germany, exære is a company developing selective recovery technologies for critical raw materials from secondary resources. Founded in 2026 by Yelda Demirdöğen and Jan Dethloff, exære is based at the Hamburg University of Technology’s (TUHH) Institute of Circular Resource Engineering and Management (CREM).
The company’s research focuses on the recovery of rare earth elements and other critical metals from challenging secondary resources, including waste electrical and electronic equipment, mining effluents, and industrial process water.
Through its work, exære contributes to the development of resource-efficient approaches for recovering valuable elements from complex and dilute streams, supporting the transition towards more circular and sustainable raw material supply chains.
Expertise in selective recovery of critical raw materials
exære develops bio-based adsorbent materials designed for the selective recovery of metals from secondary resources.
The adsorbents are synthesised from agricultural waste and subsequently functionalised at the molecular level to enable selective metal binding. Their surface chemistry is designed, with the support of computational chemistry, to target specific metal ions even at low, ppm-range concentrations.
A key feature of exære’s technology platform is its reconfigurability. Rather than requiring a dedicated material for each target element, the adsorbents can be adapted to different metals through modification of their surface chemistry.
This approach opens opportunities for the selective recovery of critical raw materials from complex streams where target metals may be present at relatively low concentrations and alongside other elements.
The company’s main areas of expertise include:
- Recovery of critical raw materials from secondary resources
- Selective adsorption of rare earth elements and other critical metals
- Development of bio-based adsorbent materials from agricultural waste
- Molecular-level functionalisation of adsorbent surfaces
- Metal recovery from waste electrical and electronic equipment
- Recovery of valuable elements from mining effluents
- Treatment and valorisation of industrial process water
- Computational chemistry supporting the design of selective binding functionalities
- Development of adaptable adsorption platforms for different target metals
Research facilities and technological infrastructure
exære’s research activities are carried out using the infrastructure of TUHH’s Institute of Circular Resource Engineering and Management (CREM) in Hamburg.
The available facilities support the characterisation of secondary resources, development and testing of adsorbent materials, and analysis of process streams.
Key infrastructure includes:
- Elemental and instrumental analysis, including ICP-OES (Agilent 5100), portable XRF (Niton XL3t), and NIR spectroscopy (microPHAZIR; Bruker MPA FT-NIR) for metal quantification and rapid material screening
- Chromatography facilities, including GC-MSD, GC-FID, GC-ECD-FID, GC-WLD, and HPLC for organic and gas-phase analysis of process streams
- Sample preparation equipment, including planetary ball mills, cutting mills, microwave digestion, freeze-drying, and vibratory sieving for the preparation and characterisation of waste and residue samples
- Pilot-scale Technikum infrastructure supporting process development and scale-up activities
These facilities provide exære with the analytical and technological capabilities needed to investigate complex feedstocks and develop selective recovery processes from laboratory research towards larger-scale applications.
By joining PROMETIA, exære strengthens the network’s expertise in selective metal recovery, bio-based materials, and circular approaches for critical raw materials. Its focus on recovering valuable elements from secondary resources complements PROMETIA’s activities in sustainable mineral processing, resource recovery, and the development of innovative solutions for secure and circular raw material supply.
We look forward to working with exære and welcoming the company into the PROMETIA community.
Learn more about exære here.
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