What is E-Waste
E-waste for short - or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) - is the term used
to describe old, end-of-life or discarded electrical appliances.
In this catalogue, "e-waste" is used as a generic term embracing all types of waste that consists
of electrically powered components containing Precious Metals (PM) or Base Metals (BM).
E-Waste contains both valuable materials (PM and BM) as well as
hazardous materials which require special handling
and recycling methods.
Some examples :
- Information and comunication equipment
- Entertainment and consumer electronics
- Medical Instruments and equipment
What is I-Waste
i-Waste – or Industrial Waste – is a term used to describe those materials produced with
various industrial manufacturing process that , as with e-Waste, contain Precious Metals
(PM) or Base Metals (BM) .
Some examples are :
- Luxury & artistic goods
- Automotive industry (i.e. catalysts)
- Oil and petroleum industry (HCR and CCR)
WHY RECYCLE e-WASTE & i-WASTE?
Electronic appliances and industrial products are composed of hundreds of different materials
that can be both toxic but also of high economic value. While bulk materials such as iron,
aluminium, plastics and glass account for over 80 weight %, valuable materials are found in
smaller quantities but are still of high importance.
Gold, silver, copper, platinum etc. are just some of the valuable substances which turn
recycling of e-waste and i-waste into a lucrative business opportunity.
e-WASTE &i-WASTE RECYCLING PROCESSES
The selection of the recycling process depends on three main factors :
- Type of material and its complexity
- Metal Content
- Volume
PROCESS FLOW CHART FOR RECYCLING OF e-WASTE
& SAMPLE i-WASTE MATERIALS
EXAMPLE OF POSSIBLE PROCESS FLOW CHART FOR RECYCLING
OF e- WASTE
CLASSIFICATION
The initial step in the recycling and recovery
process is to classfiy, evaluate and separate
the type of material according to metal content
and recoverability.
ENRICHMENT
The next step in the recycling process is the
removal of critical components from
the e-waste in order to avoid dilution of
and / or contamination with toxic substances
during the downstream processes.
MECHANICAL PROCESSING
Mechanical processing is the next step in e-waste treatment, normally an industrial large scale operation to obtain concentrates of recyclable materials in a dedicated fraction and also to further separate hazardous materials. Typical components of a mechanical processing plant are crushing units, shredders, magnetic- and eddy-current- and airseparators. The gas emissions are filtered and effluents are treated to minimize environmental impact.
CHEMICAL STRIPPING
The chemical stripping of precious metals from e-waste
or i-waste material normally requires acids, usually cyanide.
The secure handling of these substances is extremely
critical – Italimpianti Orafi has therefore designed units to
reduce all environmental and safety hazards to a minimum,
including cyanide neutralisation and treatment installations.
Chemical stripping agents work on the surface of the material
being treated and basically strip the metal surface content into
solution. Embedded metals e.g. in components or interboard
layers are not reached unless the material is
finely milled.
REFINING
The subsequent step of e-waste
recycling is refining. Refining of
resources in e-waste is possible and
technical solutions exist to get back
raw with minimal environmental
impact.
Most of the fractions need to be
refined or conditioned in order to be
sold as secondary raw materials.
INCINERATION
Incineration is the process of destroying waste through
burning. Because of the variety of substances found
in e-waste, incineration can be associated with a major
risk of generating and dispersing contaminants and toxic
substances. The gases released during the burning and
the residue ash are often toxic.
In view of this, Italimpianti Orafi designs incineration
plants to specifically avoid risks to the environment by
incorporating state-of-the-art technologies for real-time
process analysis and automatic fume treatment, thus
meeting EP requirements as stated by the majority of
EPA regulators worldwide.
MILLING OPERATION
The milling operations are a step in the recycle process,
subsequent to the incineration process, in which the
resulting materials are crushed to a fine powder.
SMELTING
The smelting process is used to separate precious metals
(PM) and base metals (BM) from inert material residues from
the incineration process.
High temperature melting furnaces are used in conjuction with
special melting fondents.
LEACHING
Leaching operations are very similar to chemical stripping, as previously mentioned.
Leaching agents work on the surface of the material being treated and basically strip the
metal surface content into solution. Embedded metals e.g. in components or inter-board
layers are not reached unless the material is finely milled.
COST ANALYSIS
There are several key factors used to
analysis the cost effectiveness of
recycling e-waste and i-waste materials :
- Initial contents of precious metals
- Local manpower costs
- Electricity costs
- Chemicals
- PM recovery rate and efficiency
- Equipment investment costs
- Other costs like transportation,
warehousing, Marketing, Sampling etc.
BENEFIT OF ITALIMPIANTI ORAFI
TECHNOLOGY
- Italimpianti Orafi is able to provide a turn-key close loop
process which includes recovery and refining of all precious
metals like gold, silver, platinum and palladium (including rhodium
& ruthenium)
- Italimpianti studies the products’ metallurgy and can customize
the recovery process to suit to clients’ needs
- Italimpianti Orafi is able to committ to the close loop
environmental process which can comply with WEEE, EPA or
any other international regulations
- Best Available Chemical Technquies
- Close Loop Process
- Comply with all environmental regulations
- High performance and better returns
- Transparent and 100% accountable
- Enviornmental friendly etc.
PLUS ALL TRAVEL-RELATED EXPENSES
Ex-Factory, Italy
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Listed price subject to manufacturers price increases without notice.
