Rare Earth Separation · Deep Tech

Breaking the Heavy REE Bottleneck

One Molecule at a Time.

HydroSepREE is commercializing a patented, water-based chemistry platform that selectively separates heavy rare earth elements — solving the critical bottleneck no Western company has cracked at scale.

Dy/Tb /Ho
>2.5×
Separation Factor — Heavy REEs
99–99.7%
Oxide Purity · OEM Grade
0
Western Heavy REE Separation at Scale

Four pillars of an unfair advantage

A chemistry breakthrough purpose-built for the world's most neglected critical mineral bottleneck.

Patented Chemistry

Supramolecular cyclen-based macrocyclic molecular recognition — a wholly new approach to REE selectivity.

Water-Only Process

Near-neutral pH selective precipitation replaces solvent extraction — no toxic organics, dramatically simpler plant design.

Heavy REE Wedge

Directly solves the Dy/Tb/Ho bottleneck — the hardest separations in inorganic chemistry, 2–5× harder than light REEs.

OEM-Grade Output

99%–99.5% oxides today with a clear pathway to 99.7% — meeting next-generation permanent magnet specifications.

A critical minerals crisis hiding in plain sight

EV Motors ~1 kg rare earth content per drivetrain unit
Offshore Wind ~200 kg direct-drive turbine magnets per MW installed
Defense (F-35) ~400 kg across avionics, guidance, and propulsion systems
AI & Robotics Infrastructure Rapidly scaling demand as autonomous systems proliferate

Context: EVs, wind, robotics, defense, and AI infrastructure amplify demand, while US/EU policies accelerate domestic mandates — yet no scalable Western heavy-REE separation facilities exist today.

The Geopolitical Concentration Problem
Americas Europe China ~90% Capacity Australia Africa
Core Insight Rare earth refining and separation capacity is geopolitically concentrated. China controls the vast majority of global separation infrastructure.
Current Reality No scalable Western heavy-REE separation facilities exist today — creating a structural supply risk across every clean energy and defense application.

The REE Supply Chain — and Where It Breaks

Mining
🔍
Concentration
Sep.
Refining & Separation
← Bottleneck
🏭
Manufacturing

Separation is where purity, margin, and control reside. Separation defines oxide purity; oxide purity defines magnet performance (OEM-grade requires ~99–99.9% purity). Separation, not mining, is the structural bottleneck.

How HydroSepREE works

Three interlocking innovations in aqueous chemistry that solve what solvent extraction cannot.

1

Molecular Cages

Cyclen-type macrocyclic chelators act as size-selective recognition platforms — engineered to distinguish lanthanides by ionic radius at the picometer scale.

2

Tunable Selectivity

Pendant arms amplify ionic-radius differences into sharp solubility transitions — converting near-identical chemistry into separable fractions.

3

Aqueous Process

Selective precipitation at near-neutral pH — no organic solvents required. Dramatically lower CAPEX, OPEX, and environmental footprint vs. incumbent SX.

Dy³⁺ 66pm Cyclen-Type Macrocyclic Chelator Size-selective molecular recognition Aqueous process · Near-neutral pH No organic solvents required

Lab results that speak for themselves

Peer-reviewed data demonstrating selectivity, throughput, chelator stability, and closed-loop recycle performance.

>2.5×

Separation Factors — Heavy REEs

Achieved for Dy/Tb/Ho — the hardest separations in the entire lanthanide series, where incumbent SX struggles most.

99–99.7%

Peer-Reviewed Oxide Purity

Current results already hit OEM-grade targets. Clear roadmap to 99.9%+ (defense grade) through iterative chelator engineering.

✓ All

Validation Gates Cleared

Proven selectivity, throughput, chelator stability, and closed-loop recycle cycles — all key pre-pilot milestones achieved.

Metric HydroSepREE Incumbent SX
Heavy REE separation capability Yes — specialized Extremely difficult
Solvents / harsh chemicals required None — water only Hundreds of steps
Plant footprint & CAPEX Modular, low-CAPEX Prohibitively large
Oxide purity achieved 99–99.7% (lab) Variable / China-dependent
Western deployment feasibility High — permittable Prohibitive timelines

Three converging entry points

HydroSepREE sits at the intersection of primary mining, recycling, and defense supply chain mandates.

Primary Mining — Unlocking Stranded Assets Western mines face unbalanced ore bodies. Oversupply of low-value light REEs must be offset by high-value heavies. HydroSepREE selectively recovers Dy/Tb/Ho, changing the economics of Western mine profitability.
Urban Mining & Recycling — The Purity Gap Surging supply of EV motors, wind turbines, and defense end-of-life streams. Recycling alone cannot achieve virgin/OEM spec. HydroSepREE enables spec-grade oxides for recyclers seeking compliant, locally-sourced supply.
Defense & Strategic Supply US/EU policy mandates are creating pull for domestic heavy REE separation. No compliant Western facility currently exists for Dy/Tb — HydroSepREE is positioned to be first-to-market.
Investment Thesis

The company that solves heavy REE separation in the West builds a structural moat

🔬
Patented IP Platform Core chemistry is protected and continuously developed at IOCB Prague — one of Europe's foremost chemistry research institutes.
First-Mover Position No Western company has achieved scalable heavy REE separation. Whoever does first captures long-term OEM and government contracts.
🌍
Policy Tailwinds IRA, EU Critical Raw Materials Act, and defense procurement mandates all accelerate demand for domestic-sourced, OEM-grade heavy REE oxides.
🔁
Modular Licensing Model Technology licenses to mines, recyclers, and refiners — highly scalable capital-light deployment strategy across multiple sectors.

Leadership built to bridge the lab-to-market divide

Two co-founders with complementary and highly relevant expertise at the commercial and scientific intersection.

KS

Kobi Ben Shabat

Co-Founder · Commercialization Expert & Seasoned Entrepreneur

20+ years scaling deep tech ventures. Raised $100M+ in capital. Led multiple companies to successful IPO, RTO, and M&A exits. Expert in bridging science to commercial markets at scale.

MP

Miloslav Polášek

Co-Founder · IOCB Prague Scientist & Rare-Earth Chemistry Expert

20+ years of R&D in rare-earth chemistry. Core IP inventor. Previously developed the Lu-177 separation technology now deployed industrially by SHINE Technologies — proving the path from lab to industrial scale.

🏛️

Backed by IOCB Prague — Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry

1,000+ employees within the Czech Academy of Sciences. Global research leader in organic chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular sciences. Unmatched commercialization track record, including Prof. Antonín Holý's antiviral discoveries successfully licensed to Gilead Sciences.

Currently Raising

Ready to be part of the
rare earth independence story?

HydroSepREE is seeking strategic investment partners to accelerate scale-up from validated lab results to pilot plant. We're offering early-stage terms to aligned investors who understand the critical minerals opportunity.