FORGE

Electronic waste (e-waste) is a growing global problem. As the world accelerates toward electrification, expanding AI data centers, and the electrification of transportation, the demand for these critical metals is surging. KardaForge lends its name from the Kardashev Scale, a model that measures a civilization's technological advancement based on its energy consumption. This advancement is strongly dependent on our ability to extract and incorporate critical metals like lithium and rare earth elements into various electronic devices and batteries. Without this, technological advancements become severely limited. Current recycling methods for electronics are costly, energy-intensive, and environmentally harmful, insufficient to sustainably meet this increasing demand. KardaForge is developing a process to use microorganisms to extract and recover valuable metals from electronic waste. This approach ensures we have the critical materials needed for future technologies while promoting sustainable recycling and reducing waste. This process has been validated at a laboratory scale using milled printed circuit boards at Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia. However, further optimization and scaling are needed to transition from technology readiness level 3 to TRL 4, which is what the focus of KardaForge will be.