Our Expertise

Hydrova is an EPA-backed industry leader in zero-waste dross recycling. Hydrova’s patent-pending separations technology recovers valuable aluminum, salt, and oxide products from dross and salt cake while generating hydrogen for clean energy use on-site. We help some of the largest aluminum producers in the world achieve their sustainability goals efficiently and profitably.

Our Mission

Over 5 million tons of dross and salt slag go to landfill every year. Meanwhile, aluminum production is responsible for 2% of global GHG emissions. Hydrova is dedicated to building a zero-waste and decarbonized future for the aluminum industry.

Our Team

  • Rostam Reifschneider

    Founder and CEO

    Rostam is a founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Hydrova. He spent 4 years as the company’s Chief Technical Officer after founding the company in 2020 as a spinout from his work at MIT. As CTO, Rostam developed Hydrova’s DrossZero™ technology under SBIR grant funding from the US EPA where he served as the Principal Investigator. In partnership with TST Inc. in California, Rostam successfully piloted the DrossZero™ in 2022, leading to TST including the DrossZero™ in their application for funding under the Chips for America act. In 2024, Rostam assumed the CEO position to expand the business into the critical minerals industry. Now, he is leading the charge on Hydrova’s new rare earths extraction project while supporting the DrossZero™ project in California.

  • Xiaoxi Wu, Ph.D.

    Xiaoxi Wu, Ph.D.

    Sr. Process Engineer

    Xiaoxi leads the engineering, modeling, and design of Hydrova’s commercial systems. Dr. Wu is an expert with 20+ years of experience in chemical process systems. As Chief Scientist at GreenFuel Technologies, his prototype reactor system helped the company raise over $12M in VC funding, after which he designed and built their Gen II pilot plant. As Principal Engineer at General Atomics, he successfully managed a $21M Phase I DARPA project which resulted in securing $22M Phase II funding earlier than scheduled. Dr. Wu holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Beijing University of Chemical Technology and an MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel.

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