Dresden: Spin-off Siderogain Recovers Raw Materials from Industrial Wastewater

At the heart of the company is a patented technology that enables the efficient recovery of strategically important metals—such as gallium, indium, and germanium—from process residues in the semiconductor industry. The spin-off originated in the biotechnology department of the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) at the Helmholtz Center Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR).

Gallium, indium, and germanium are key raw materials for the semiconductor industry and are used, among other things, in wafers, electronic chips, LEDs, and lasers. At the same time, Europe is heavily dependent on imports for its supply of these metals, and global market prices are rising steadily. According to the leading Asian exchange, the Shanghai Metals Market, prices currently range from 2,270 to 2,900 euros per kilogram for gallium, 9,450–10,210 euros per kilogram for germanium, and 840 euros per kilogram for indium.

To reduce dependence on imports and ensure future availability, efficient recycling technologies are needed. The process developed by the spin-off Siderogain therefore focuses on where valuable raw materials have often been lost in the past: in industrial process wastewater.

“We use siderophores. These are biomolecules that have a particularly high binding capacity for certain metal ions. We have harnessed this property to selectively separate the critical metals from low-concentration process streams—a process known as biosorption. With Siderogain, we aim to make this technology—which has been developed and tested over many years of research—available for industrial application,” says Dr. Rohan Jain, who has spearheaded the technology’s development and will serve as CEO of Siderogain.

• From Laboratory Testing to Pilot Plant

The first experiments were conducted in the laboratories of HIF’s biotechnology department using various types of process wastewater from wafer production. In these experiments, gallium was bound almost completely. To return it to the material cycle, the metal and the biomolecule must be separated again. This highlights another advantage of the process: reusability. Using a patented separation process, the bound metal and the siderophores are separated again. The biomolecules are then reused. Even after more than ten cycles, the siderophores showed no loss of function, with the goal being 100 cycles.

Following successful laboratory-scale tests, the next decisive step came in 2025: Together with the semiconductor manufacturer Freiberger Compound Materials (FCM) GmbH, the Siderogain team scaled up the technology to a pilot scale. The transfer of the process from the laboratory to an industrial setting was successful, as the facility at the company’s site in Freiberg can now treat up to 2,000 liters of process wastewater per day. The collaboration with FCM plays a central role for Siderogain. It enables the team to further develop the technology under real production conditions and to investigate its scalability and economic viability.

In parallel with the pilot plant tests, the Siderogain team investigated the transferability of the process to other metals. They were able to demonstrate that even critical and economically significant metals such as indium and germanium can be recovered using this biotechnological approach.

• From the HZDR Technology Transfer Project to a Company

On its path to becoming a spin-off, Siderogain received support from various technology transfer and startup programs. An important milestone was its acceptance into the Helmholtz Enterprise spin-off program. This funding enabled the team to automate the technology, advance the startup initiative, and prepare for pre-commercial testing in collaboration with industry partners. Since August, the spin-off has also been receiving funding from the EXIST Research Transfer program to further develop the technology, acquire its first customers, and expand the pilot plant into a operational prototype.

The transfer from science to industry was significantly supported by the HZDR’s Technology Transfer Department and HZDR Innovation GmbH, which, as an innovation incubator, supports the center’s research projects during the startup phase and holds a stake in Siderogain. “For the HZDR, this is already the 24th spin-off. This is outstanding and serves as a model for the transfer of scientific findings into marketable solutions. After all, societal benefit is a central concern of our research,” emphasizes Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt, Scientific Director of the HZDR.

“Starting with a biotechnology research question, and through laboratory trials, patenting, and the construction of a pilot plant, a technology has emerged that can contribute to European raw material security and the circular economy,” says Dr. Katrin Pollmann, head of the biotechnology department at HIF, expressing her delight at the institute’s fourth spin-off to date.

With the founding of Siderogain, the next phase is now beginning: The team aims to tap into additional industrial applications and attract customers and partners to adopt the technology. “With Siderogain, we want to show that industrial wastewater and waste should not only be viewed as a disposal problem, but as a source of raw materials,” says Jain.