The International Tin Association’s technology team, Dr. Jeremy Pearce and Georgia Laurie, visited Bioscope at their Cambridge facility to learn more about the company’s innovative work recovering tin and other valuable metals from electronic waste.
The visit reflects ITA’s increasing engagement with technology developers operating at the forefront of critical tin recovery and circular economy solutions.
Bioscope, a UK-based company, is pioneering low-impact recovery technologies, including hydrometallurgy and bio-hydrometallurgy, to extract a wide range of metals from discarded electronic devices. The company collaborates closely with its sister organisation N2S, an IT asset recovery business that supplies the necessary e-waste feedstock. Crucially, Bioscope aims to retain the economic and environmental value of e-waste recycling within the UK.
During the visit, ITA staff met with Dr. Daniel Ray, Bioscope’s Lead Scientist, and Dr. Andrew Carrick, Research Scientist, to discuss their ongoing work on selective metal extraction. Dr. Carrick is currently focused on optimising tin recovery pathways to produce a tin oxide end-product.
Bioscope already operates an on-site copper recovery installation, capable of producing 1–2 tonnes per month of 99.9% pure copper cathode cylinders via electroplating. This is the first time copper has been commercially produced by this method in the UK since 1991. In addition to copper, the company has developed processes for the recovery of both gold and tin.
During a guided tour of the facility, Dr. Ray emphasised the challenges posed by the variable metal content of printed circuit boards, even among visually similar types. Thanks to their adaptable processing methods, Bioscope is able to overcome such variability and maintain recovery efficiency.
Tin is a vital component in electronics, particularly as solder, and its recovery from e-waste presents an increasingly important opportunity for sustainable sourcing. As demand for circular raw materials intensifies, solutions such as those being developed by Bioscope are essential to building resilient supply chains.
ITA thanks Bioscope for hosting the visit and looks forward to further collaboration in support of advancing tin technologies.
Bioscope is a member of our Tin Valley platform. Visit to view our exclusive interview with them.
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