Sub task 2.2.3 New recycling solutions based on new products coming from WP4
In WP4 new products will be suggested to minimise the impact of electronic products. Those new products will implicate the WP2 to anticipate new recycling ways and maximise the recycling of materials and circularity of the raw materials used.
Role of partners:
- DTI, CSIC and WEEECycling will focus on battery recycling issues. We will apply 2 recycling techniques for the recovery of metal oxides from black mass obtained after the dismantling of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) through hydrometallurgy (acid leaching) and pyrometallurgy (carboreduction) at lab-scale. Another output of the process will be the graphite (main constituent of the anode) that will be used in development of anode materials.
Hydrometallurgical processes. A leaching process starting from LIBs black mass will be carried out by CSIC using different acids (inorganic and organic acids) and several conditions, to recover the valuable metals. The solution containing the valuable metals, will be treated in several steps (liquid-liquid extractions) to carried out selective separation of each metal leached previously, based on their behavior in the solution with different organic extraction agents, that will be re-generated and re-use during the extraction process. Once extracted and separated each metal will be precipitated.
Pyrometallurgical processes. Pyrometallurgical low-temperature thermal treatment will be carried out by CSIC from LIBs black mass, to recover the lithium by a carboreduction process, based on a patent developed by CSIC. After determining the optimal conditions to recover Li, the rest of the metals will be recovered by physic separation and, in case of more separation is required, also hydrometallurgical processes could be applied.
To recover rare earths from magnets, mainly Nd, Pr, Dy, Tb, hydrometallurgical and electrochemical techniques will be used. The conditions and reagents used will be, more likely, different from the ones used for the recycling of LIBs.
Regarding the precious metals, Au, Ag, Pd, hydrometallurgical, pyrometallurgical and electrochemical techniques will be tested, to determine the optimal conditions to recover these metals from WEEEs.
- Soitec will work on the raw materials and waste stream in the production of ingot and wafer
- IFAG will work on package recycling and raw materials assessment. They will also work on identifying the raw materials used and waste stream in the production of wafers and components
- Vitesco will work on identifying the raw materials used and waste stream in the production of their products
- WEEECycling will help all partners providing their laboratory capacities and recycling processes knowledge. They will work on the compilation of all those data and work on new recycling technologies.
- Arcelik will work on Increasing reuse and recycling rate of electronics, define new recycling methods for electronics that consist of critical raw materials on appliances and create a material/electronics traceability system and database
- Synano, Infineon will work on the ink recycling part and WEEECycling will work on recycling solution for the new product designed in WP4
- Premo will cooperate in relation with recyclable plastic/polymer, metallic materials and sintered ferrites
- UL IMF- will work on identifying the raw materials used and waste stream in the production development, fabrication and repair (experimental silicon technological line). Development of biodegradable substrates for electronics and soldering materials for device production and repair (subtasks 2.2.2 and 2.2.3).
- Nerosubianco will contribute to the identification and validation of new recycling solutions + assess WP2 related Use Cases (observe application of technologies, check how the initial problems have been solved, evaluate its replicability)
- STGNB 2 SAS & ST-I: Contribute to "eWaste recycling" and will brainstorm on packaging expertise with recycling partners, identify current pain points and opportunities for recycling rate and efficiency improvement. They will identify material innovation and state of the art with material, manufacturing and laboratories partners and participate to definition of material testing and characterization plan.
In Use case 4,5 and 10 we will test the recycling solutions developed.