
Ashish Gupta & Siddhartha (Sid) Paul from KonsciousPlanet/KP Labs
From Energytech Startups by collide.
March 17, 2026 · 48 min · Episode 93
About this episode
Dr. Ashish Gupta and Siddhartha Paul discuss how KP Labs is using bacteria to recover critical metals from e-waste.
Critical metals like nickel and cobalt are slipping through the cracks and into landfills, and KP Labs is on a mission to get them back. Dr. Ashish Gupta and Siddhartha Paul, CEO and CTO and co-founders of KonsciousPlanet/KP Labs, break down how bacteria can pull valuable metals from e-waste, why recycling is really just energy independence in disguise, and why they're calling it urban mining. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy. Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward. Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 0:00 - Intro and KP Labs origin story 3:26 - How the e-waste recycling technology works 8:39 - Black mass, battery chemistry, and the logistics problem 11:00 - America's recycling problem 14:40 - Democratizing the recycling process 18:29 - Commercialization plans and funding 24:02 - Founders' backgrounds and how they met 30:00 - Challenges in energy transition investing 35:39 - Houston ecosystem and helpful resources 38:07 - Investor…
People in this episode
Guests: Ashish Gupta, Siddhartha (Sid) Paul
Topics covered
- e-waste recycling
- urban mining
- energy independence
- critical metals
- bacteria technology
- commercialization
Keywords
- nickel
- cobalt
- recycling
- energy independence
- urban mining
- e-waste
- bacteria
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: KonsciousPlanet/KP Labs, collide
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