Project duration: 1 January 2022 – 31 December 2024
Objective
The project aims to validate a technology for the epoxy separation and valorisation from the Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). The technology will facilitate the raw materials and critical raw materials recovery in the recycling furnaces of copper smelters and WEEE recyclers, increasing the recycling rates in EU.
The solution (technology)
The Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) contain significant amounts of recoverable critical metals such as Cu, Au, Ag, Pd, and Pt. However, recycling PCBs presents some issues because of the high content of epoxy and the content of bromine, harmful to the environment and health.
The majority of copper smelters processing WPCBs (PCB Waste) feed the recycling furnace with the WPCBs including its epoxy content. Some others pyrolyse the WPCBs, which evaporates the organic fraction in order to be recovered and used for energy production.
RENEW project goes one-step further and aims to validate a technology for the epoxy separation that facilitates the Raw and Critical Materials (RM & CRM) recovery in the recycling furnace while the epoxy from the PCBs is valorised and used for chemical recycling.
This project will lead to:
- Increase of the concentration of metals in recycling furnace’s input material
- Increase the value of the recycled PCBs
- Reduction of the PCBs recycling process CO2 footprint
- Valorisation of the epoxy
End-users for the technology are Electric and Electronic Equipments Waste (WEEE) recycling companies that commercialises recycled PCBs, and copper smelters that recycles non-ferrous metal fraction from WEEEs to recover critical metals (Cu, Au, Ag, Pt, Sn, Ni).
Partnership
- Atlantic Copper, Spain (Lead Partner)
- ERION, Italy
- Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. (Fraunhofer), Germany
- Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium
- Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), Estonia
- TREEE Srl, Italy
Learn more about the project here.