Opportunities & limits to recycle
critical metals for clean energies
Christian Hagelüken, Mark Caffarey - Umicore
Trans-Atlantic Workshop on Rare
Earth Elements and Other Critical
Materials for a Clean Energy Future
MIT Boston, 3. Dec. 2010
1
Boom in demand for most ‘technology metals’
Mine production since 1980 / since 1900
100%
90%
80%
1900-1980
% mined%inmined in 1900-1980
70%
60%
50%
40%
30% % mined in 1980-2010
% mined in 1980-2010
20%
10%
0%
Re Ga In Ru Pd Rh Ir REE Si Pt Ta Li Se Ni Co Ge Cu Bi Ag Au
important for clean energy REE = Rare Earth Elements
Much more than Rare Earth Elements, but little significance of „mass metals“
2
Clean energy developments will further
boost demand for technology metals
Multiple examples:
Electric vehicles & batteries
cobalt, lithium, rare earth elements, copper
Fuel cells
platinum, (ruthenium, palladium, gold)
Photovoltaic (solar cells)
silicon, silver, indium, gallium, selenium, tellurium,
germanium, ruthenium
Thermo-electrics, opto-electronics, LEDs, …
bismuth, tellurium, silicon, indium, gallium,
arsenic, selenium, germanium, antimony, …
… 3
Urban mining “deposits”
can be much richer than primary mining ores
Primary mining Urban mining
~5 g/t Au in ore 200-250 g/t Au in PC circuit boards
Similar for PGMs 300-350 g/t Au in cell phones
2000 g/t PGM in automotive catalysts
Example gold – principle is valid for many technology metals
4
Low loadings per unit, but volume counts
Example: Metal use in electronics
Global sales, 2009
a) Mobile phones b) PCs & laptops a+b) Urban mine
1300 million units/ year 300 Million units/year Mine production / share
X 250 mg Ag ≈ 325 t Ag X 1000 mg Ag ≈ 300 t Ag Ag: 21,000 t/a ► 3%
X 24 mg Au ≈ 31 t Au X 220 mg Au ≈ 66 t Au Au: 2,400 t/a ► 4%
X 9 mg Pd ≈ 12 t Pd X 80 mg Pd ≈ 24 t Pd Pd: 220 t/a ► 16%
X 9 g Cu ≈ 12,000 t Cu X~500 g Cu ≈150,000 t Cu Cu: 16 Mt/a ► <1%
1300 million Li-Ion batteries ~140 million Li-ion batteries
X 3.8 g Co ≈ 4900 t Co X 65 g Co ≈ 9100 t Co Co: 75,000 t/a ► 19%
Tiny metal content per piece Significant total demand
Other electronic devices add even more to these figures
5
Mass recycling vs technology metals recycling
Bottle glass Steel scrap Circuit boards Autocatalysts
Green glass
White glass
Brown glass
Specialty metals PGMs
“Mono-substance” materials without hazards ”Poly-substance” materials, incl. hazardous
Trace elements remain part of alloys/glass elements
Complex components as part of complex products
Recycling focus on mass and costs
Recycling focus on value recovery from
trace elements
6
Recycling chain - system approach is key
Example: 50% X 70% X 95% = 33%
End-of-life Dismantling & Smelting & Recycled
Collection
products pre-processing refining metals
Reuse
Separated components Final waste
& fractions
Consider the entire chain & its interdependences
Precious metals dominate economic & environmental value minimise PM losses
Mass flows flows of technology metals
Success factors interface optimisation, specialisation, economies of scale
The total recycling efficiency is determined by the weakest step in the chain
7
Room for improvement in the recycling chain
Example of gold recycling
Collection Dismantling & pre-processing Smelting & refining
80% X 50% X 50% = 20%
50% X 25% X 95% = 12%
Are we always doing much better in “the West” today?
Future… 85% X 90% X 95% = 73%
Doing it the right way offers a huge potential – so how to get there?
8 Figures are illustrative
Large number of players in the recycling chain
Limited number of technology metals refiners
Sufficient capacity for recovery of many
technology metals available
Example e-scrap: Number of
actors in Europe
Make sure that critical fractions reach these
plants without major losses during the way
10,000s Collection
Ensure that critical fractions with technology
metals are treated at BAT processes 1000’s Dismantling &
High yields, minimal emissions 100’s Pre-processing
Recovery of multiple metals
3
Smelting &
Refining
9
Example Umicore: High Tech & Economies of
Scale are crucial success factors
Dismantling & Smelting &
Collection
pre-processing refining
Umicore‘s
integrated Hoboken
smelter/refinery
ISO 14001 & 9001, OHSAS 18001
Focus PM-containing secondary material, input > 300 000 t/a, global customer basis
Recovery of 7 PM & 11 other metals with high yields: Recycled metal value: 3 Bn US-$
Au, Ag, Pt, Pd, Rh, Ru, Ir, Cu, Pb, Ni, Sn, Bi, Se, Te, Sb, As, In, Ga.
Investments since 1997: 400 M €; Invest. for comparable green field plant: >> 1 Bn €!
Value of precious metals enables co-recovery
10 of specialty metals (‘paying metals’)
Technology metals recycling
is more complex than in the movies
Technical accessibility of relevant components
E.g. electronics in modern cars, REE-magnets
in electric motors, …
Need for “Design for disassembly”, sorting & “pre-
shredder” separation technologies
Thermodynamic challenges & difficult metal
combinations for “trace elements”
Laws of Nature cannot be broken
E.g. rare earth elements, tantalum, gallium, beryllium in
electronics, lithium in batteries
Need for recyclability consideration in development of new
material combinations
Quality/composition of feed streams need to match
From: Disney/Pixar www.wall-e.com
with capability of recycling process
11
Economic recycling challenges
Most precious metals containing waste materials have a positive net value
Value of metals contained outweighs cost of recycling
Technology metals containing waste materials may have negative net value
in the absence of certain “paying metals” (e.g. Au) in the same metal feed
Value/price of metal not sufficient to compensate for cost of recycling
Negative net value due to low critical metal concentrations in products
E.g. lithium in batteries, indium in LCDs & PV-modules
Create economic recycling incentives (subsidies) & improve technology (costs &
efficiency)
Dispersed use inhibits economic recycling (regardless of price level)
E.g. silver in textiles or RFID chips
Avoid dispersed use or look for non-critical substitutes
Legislative initiatives required in certain cases
12
Main flaws in EU WEEE recycling
Poor collection
Dismantling & Smelting &
Collection
pre-processing refining
Deviation of collected materials dubious exports backyard treatment
Dismantling & Smelting &
Collection
pre-processing refining
:
13
To what extent does current (EU-) legislation help?
Legislation helps
Awareness raising, supportive legal framework
Development of take-back infrastructure, collection targets, EU wide reporting
Resource aspect of recycling is on the radar screen now,
beyond the traditional waste/environmental aspects
Legislation can be improved
Weak enforcement of legislation
- Poor monitoring of end-of-life flows
- Illegal exports
Collection targets not ambitious enough, collection remains well below potential
- Mass based targets do not help for technology metals (“trace elements”)
Neither clear definitions nor reliable supervision of recycling standards exist
14
Legislation needed for certain recycling drivers
Criticality, a new driver for recycling? Current recycling-drivers
Value:
Taken care of by the market, pays for
Value Economic incentive itself
e.g. : autocat, Al-wheel rim,
Cu-scrap, precious metals, Set EHS frame conditions!
… EHS & volume
Society driven
Recycling Negative net value
Driven by
Sustainable access
to critical metals
legislation
Environment Volume Future recycling drivers:
Too much to “Critical metals”
dump Macro economic significance
e.g. : household waste,
debris, packaging, … Enhanced recycling worthwhile also
Risk for EHS (Environment, health & safety) without volume or EHS risks
e.g..: asbestos, Hg, airbags, waste oil, …
15
Next steps: Time for fundamental changes
Attitude: from waste management to resource management
Targets: from focus on mass to focus on quality & critical substances
Practice: from traditional waste business to high-tech recycling
Vision (OEMs): from burden to recycling as opportunity
Recycling requires a holistic and interdisciplinary approach
Ensure consistency between different policies
16
Ready for questions
[email protected], [email protected]
www.preciousmetals.umicore.com 17
Recycling recommendations developed
by the RMI critical metals group
Undertake policy actions to make recycling of critical raw materials
more efficient, in particular by:
Mobilising relevant EoL products for proper collection instead of
stocking, landfill or incineration
Improving overall organisation, logistics & efficiency of recycling chains
by focussing on interfaces and system approach
Preventing illegal exports of relevant EoL products & increasing
transparency in flows
Promoting research on system optimisation & recycling of technically
challenging products & substances
Source: DEFINING CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS FOR THE EU: A Report from the Raw Materials Supply Group ad hoc working
group defining critical raw materials; July 30, 2010
18
RMI: Eurometaux Proposals
10 concrete proposals under 4 pillars:
(1): Trade aspects
Improving access • Customs identification of second
to secondary raw materials hand goods
• Improved enforcement of Waste
Shipment Regulation
environmental legislation
Improving management
Enforcing trade-related
Ensuring level playing
• End-of-Waste
of raw materials and
field for processing
Economic viability
2nd raw materials
their efficient use
(2) Level playing field
• Certification scheme to ensure
of recycling
aspects of
access to secondary RM
• Facilitate & encourage the re-
shipping of complex materials to
BAT-recycling plants in Europe
(3) Improved EoL management
• Promote the Efficient Collection and
Recycling of Rechargeable Batteries
• The eco-leasing concept
• Better recycling data
Existing EU policy framework • Research on recyclability
(4) Economic viability of recycling
19
Western technology not always perfect as well –
Choice of pre-processing technology is crucial
Gold recovery
in printed circuit board fraction,
after pre-processing
Choice of dismantling & pre-processing 100
technology strongly impacts recovery 90
75%
rates 80
gold loss
70
60
Materials must be steered into most 50
suitable refining processes
40
30
Challenge for complex products 20
10
Precious- & special metals are lost unless 0
directed into PM- & Cu-refining. St 1
Manual
Low intensity
St 4 High intensity
St 5 St
mechanical mechanical
To maximise recovery of precious & special
metals certain losses of plastics & base
metals are inevitable (& should be
Source: Rotter et al. Elektronik Ecodesign
Congress München (10/2009)
tolerated).
20
Continuous technology innovation
- Umicore recycling process for rechargeable batteries
R & D started
to recover Li
Source:
Eurometaux’s proposals for the Raw Materials Initiative, annex, a case story on rechargeable batteries, prepared by Umicore & Recharge, June 2010
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