Valuable and hazardous resources

WEEE (Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment) is an urban raw material with increasing worldwide importance. This secondary raw material contains valuable metals, such as iron, steel, aluminium, copper and nickel that can still be recovered. However, the high content of precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum and palladium is essential. In addition, special metals and critical raw materials such as indium, gallium and rare earth elements are present.

Organic substances in the secondary raw material play a significant role in the pyrometallurgical treatment of WEEE. High amounts of organic components (such as plastic and textiles) lead to high energy intake in the smelting furnace and cause thermal stress. UrbanGold’s concept includes an effective cooling system and optimized exploitation of the process heat. As a consequence, the process enables the treatment of raw materials containing a significant proportion of organic material while remaining economically and environmentally friendly.

A special challenge in the processing of WEEE are the problematic substances in the raw material. Through plastic fractions, halogens, such as fluorine and chlorine enter the process and lead to a contamination of the process gas. Off-gas treatment by state-of-the-art technology is therefore essential for a sustainable and environmentally safe recycling.