Zincovery wins the C-Prize

31 March, 2021

The Zincovery team - MacDiarmid alumnus Jono Ring and Principal Investigator Aaron Marshall

MacDiarmid Institute - affiliated start-up Zincovery was the winner of Callaghan Innovation’s 2020 C-Prize, announced in September. The C-Prize, worth $100k with access to ongoing support and mentoring, was this year looking for teams with 'world-leading innovative solutions to environmental problems'. Zincovery was judged the best of 140 entries.

Zincovery is a University of Canterbury (UC) start-up that recycles waste from the galvanizing industry for reuse as valuable raw materials. Principal Investigator and University of Canterbury Associate Professor Aaron Marshall and former UC student and MacDiarmid Institute alumnus Jono Ring have developed a process which recovers high purity zinc, iron and acid from material that would otherwise become expensive landfill. The team is developing an industry scale demonstration plant before launching in the international market.

Zincovery is an example of the type of high tech sustainability innovation that addresses not only environmental goals, but also Aotearoa New Zealand’s opportunity to be a world leader in exporting sustainable-tech IP. Young entrepreneurs like Jono Ring are also an inspiration to other young people keen to see where science and engineering could lead them. The MacDiarmid Institute congratulates Zincovery on their 2020 achievements, and is proud to have supported the research and professional development underpinning their success.