Collection of ENEA technology and expertise
Technology for the recovery of precious metals from WEEE
The process uses hydrometallurgical techniques, conducted at temperatures close to room temperature, with reduced costs and limited atmospheric emissions; it allows the recovery of gold and tin oxide from whole electronic boards already in the first extraction phase using appropriate nitric acid solutions. The subsequent phases of the process allow the recovery of silver, copper and lead with a degree of purity that can be modulated according to market needs.
Application sectors
Problem to solve
The recovery of metals contained in waste electrical and electronic equipment represents a great opportunity linked both to their high value and to their potential reuse in Hi-Tech components and products. The demand for these materials has increased significantly in recent years and has led to a criticality in their supply, both in economic terms and for their limited availability and conditioned by the monopoly of primary producers.
Description
The exponential growth in the use of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and in general of high-tech components raises a pressing question about the entire life cycle of this category of objects. The correct management of end-of-life EEE (WEEE) represents a serious challenge for health and the environment, but also offers important opportunities to create eco-businesses and green jobs: hence the importance of implementing treatment systems through sustainable technologies. In Italy, unlike what generally happens in industrialized countries, the tendency of the recycling industry is not to go beyond the first phases of the treatment and recovery process, that is, those that are decidedly simpler but also less profitable, leaving the recovery of the "noble" part of the waste to operators usually beyond national borders, which in WEEE consists of electronic boards, rich in valuable metals such as gold, silver, palladium and copper that are sent abroad (especially Northern Europe) to specialized recovery plants. The technology refers to two patents relating to a chemical process and a machine that allows to optimize the operations (Hydrometallurgical process for the recovery of materials from electronic boards, patent certificate for industrial invention No. 0001422872; PCT/IB2014/065131; Group for the realization of a hydrometallurgical recovery of materials from electronic boards, patent certificate for industrial invention No. 0001428567; PCT/IB2016/050763). A prototype of this machine was inserted in the pilot plant called ROMEO to verify the process parameters with a view to transferring the technology to industry.
Innovative aspects and advantages
- High recovery rate
- Limited gas emissions in the air
- Low energetic costs
- Low operating temperature
- Modularity and flexibility of the system
Technological Maturity 4-5
Strengths
- Cost
- Social/economic relevance
- Legal/regulatory content
- Efficiency/productivity/performance
- Innovation
- Lack of technology/solution for the specific task
- Scalability
Admissible applications
- Recovery of copper from electronic boards from WEEE
- Recovery of gold directly in metallic form from electronic boards from WEEE
- Recovery of lead from electronic boards from WEEE
- Recovery of silver from electronic boards from WEEE
- Recovery of tin from electronic boards from WEEE
Research group involved
Patent Available for Licensing
Disponibile per una licenza non esclusiva
Revision date
30-06-2025
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