Nordic Salt Cycle Raises €3.5 Million Pre‑Seed to Advance Molten Salt Mineral Recovery Technology in Europe
Danish deep‑tech startup Nordic Salt Cycle has raised €3.5 million in pre‑seed funding to commercialise its breakthrough molten salt mineral recovery technology and accelerate its mission to make Europe more resilient in its supply of critical materials such as lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements.
Founded in 2024, Nordic Salt Cycle is developing a modular molten salt process designed to recover critical and strategic minerals from end‑of‑life products such as electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines and electronics. The company’s patented approach aims to offer a low‑cost, scalable and more sustainable alternative to existing recycling methods by separating and extracting valuable materials with significantly lower energy use and fewer chemicals.
The €3.5 million pre‑seed funding round was led by Danmarks Eksport‑ og Investeringsfond (EIFO) — Denmark’s state‑owned green transition investment fund that backs technologies with potential to strengthen economic resilience and decarbonisation efforts — along with participation from existing backer The Footprint Firm, an impact‑focused investment and advisory company, and German impact capital firm Ananda Impact Ventures.
Nordic Salt Cycle’s technology platform targets one of the most pressing challenges in the global transition to electrification and renewable energy: secure access to critical minerals that are essential components of batteries, permanent magnets and other advanced technologies. Traditionally, much of this supply has been reliant on primary extraction and processing in low‑cost manufacturing hubs in Asia, leaving Europe exposed to geopolitical and economic risks. By developing a local, circular route to reclaim these materials, Nordic Salt Cycle seeks to reduce dependency on imports and support a resilient, sustainable mineral economy.
Stefan Vilner, CEO and co‑founder of Nordic Salt Cycle, said the funding will help the company refine its prototype and prepare for pilot deployments, beginning with recycling of metals from end‑of‑life electric vehicle batteries — a strategy that aligns with Europe’s growing battery ecosystem and decarbonisation goals. The startup’s molten salt approach has already demonstrated the ability to separate and recover mineral resources more efficiently than some incumbent recycling technologies, with early tests showing promising unit economics and energy savings.
James Amphlett, CTO and co‑founder, highlighted that Nordic Salt Cycle’s prototype is operational and has separated target elements using comparatively low energy input and fewer reagents than traditional processes. The modular nature of the technology means it can be deployed in distributed units close to waste streams, rather than relying exclusively on large centralized facilities.
Investors backing the round emphasise the broader strategic significance of Nordic Salt Cycle’s platform. EIFO framed its investment as part of Denmark’s and Europe’s green transition strategy — one that bolsters industrial capability while addressing supply‑chain vulnerabilities for materials critical to future technologies. The Footprint Firm noted that the green transition “depends on critical materials,” and technology that unlocks domestic resources from waste streams could play a central role in achieving climate and industrial objectives. Ananda Impact Ventures described Nordic Salt Cycle as a platform with the potential to transform the recycling industry by enabling recovery of a wide range of critical materials beyond batteries, including rare earth elements.
Analysts and industry stakeholders see the pre‑seed funding as a timely vote of confidence in a company operating at the intersection of climate technology, industrial resilience and circular economy. As electrification continues to expand — from electric vehicles to renewable energy infrastructure — demand for consistent supplies of lithium and other strategic minerals is growing rapidly. Nordic Salt Cycle’s technology, if successfully scaled and commercialised, could help close the loop on mineral use and reduce the environmental impact of primary extraction.
Beyond batteries, Nordic Salt Cycle plans to explore applications of its molten salt process in recycling other end‑of‑life materials, including permanent magnets and industrial components, further broadening its potential impact across sectors. The new funding will support ongoing prototype development, pilot projects and refinement of the underlying technology platform as the company moves toward commercial operations.
Founded by Vilner and Amphlett, Nordic Salt Cycle combines expertise in deep tech, materials science and sustainable systems, positioning it to contribute to Europe’s strategic push toward a more circular mineral economy. With its pre‑seed round secured and investors aligned behind its long‑term vision, the startup is now poised to advance its molten salt mineral recovery technology and help unlock critical resources needed for the clean energy transition.
