Technological advances for removing metals from circuit board waste

Two firms in the UK have joined forces to develop low-cost, low-energy technology for rapid removal of metals for final recovery from circuit board waste.

Metal waste removal has become an increasingly important subject in the industry, and there is growing pressure to recover metals efficiently. ITRI's subsidiary ITRI Innovation, and Ultromex have combined forces in exploring new ways to effectively recover tin and other metals from waste circuit boards, which will help alleviate pressure on the country over the revised WEEE Directive in Europe.

The two companies are developing technology for rapid removal of metals that will enable efficient recovery of tin, copper, lead, silver and other precious metals. The pilot plant is currently under construction in the North West of England, and will be up and running within three months, according to ITRI.

David Bishop, Managing Director of ITRI, comments: "Pressure to recover metals efficiently from waste electronics scrap is growing with increasing commodity prices and constrained supplies. At the same time new regulations such as the revised WEEE Directive in Europe will mandate increasing targets for waste electronics collection. We believe this technology represents a significant advancement in metals recycling."

Posted by Joseph Hutton