Industrial scale in sight for metal recovery

Gold and other valuable metals will no longer go unused in electronic scrap heaps. In the autumn, the researchers of the Department of Chemistry started up a unique reactor system which points the way towards larger industrial applications.

The department’s hydrometallurgical equipment is well suited to the recovery of precious and rare metals. It currently operates on a six-litre scale, but an industrial concept is already in sight for the future. The carbon dioxide emissions from the recovery of metals from e-waste are estimated to be only one-tenth compared to those produced in mining metals from the earth.

The hydrometallurgical system set up in the Department of Chemistry can be used for modelling industrial processes.

Full-scale plants could be built near big cities. “They would revolutionise the recovery of rare and critical metals from waste materials, such as electronic scrap,” says Ari Väisänen, leading professor in analytical chemistry and circular economy.