Situation

Low-grade electronic waste is rapidly becoming one of Europe’s largest waste streams. Consider, for example, stripped circuit boards from various electronic devices. Most of the valuable recyclable metals have already been removed. However, Circular Industries asserts that even from these ‘stripped’ circuit boards, metals can still be extracted for recycling.

The company aims to establish an Urban Mining Factory (UMF) in the Netherlands specifically for this purpose. This is crucial, as metal extraction from primary mining is finite and polluting. To properly connect their various separation technologies with a good process design, Circular Industries sought support from KH Engineering.

​Solution

For developing both the process and the project, KH Engineering supports Circular Industries. A pre-selection of the technologies they will apply has already been made. For the recovery of metals from electronic waste, they use an innovative combination of pyro- and hydrometallurgical processes.

According to the FEL methodology (Front End Loading), KH Engineering provides a design that forms the basis for the installation setup, the interfaces between the different technologies, and the required utilities and supporting functions, such as power supply and cooling.

KH Engineering also assists with various other aspects of project development, such as financing, subsidy, and permit applications. These are important aspects of project development that must be carried out carefully. The knowledge and experience of KH Engineering are very useful in this regard.

Customer benefit

Circular Industries will soon be able to open a working factory for the production of critical raw materials. This makes it possible to recover metals (especially copper) from low-grade electronic waste in an economically viable way. This first Urban Mining Factory (UMF) will become the project standard for Circular Industries in the further development of the concept for other locations.