International E-Waste Day is held every year on October 14 to raise awareness about the growing problem of electronic waste and encourage people to recycle their old electronics.

Umicore is a pioneer in advanced materials and recycling

For International E-Waste Day (14 October), we spoke to Thierry Van Kerckhoven, head of supply recyclables, about the importance of critical raw materials, and recycling them. 

“Umicore is active in Hoboken in the recycling critical and strategic raw materials, particularly precious and non-precious metals. We have about 1,700 people working in that area. By melting down and refining discarded electronics, we recover 17 different metals, of which 7 are precious metals. We process an average of 400,000 tons of material annually in Hoboken.”

Umicore has developed particularly efficient recycling processes. In a nutshell, this is how it works.

After sampling and analysing the raw materials supplied, different materials such as printed circuit boards and catalysts are combined in the right proportions. The smelting process separates the precious metals into the copper fraction, whereas non-precious metals go into a lead slag. Then, further pyro- and hydrometallurgical processesensure further separation. Plastic in discarded electronic appliances is not removed separately but serves as fuel during the process. 

This means that less fossil energy needs to be added to the process, which leads to an increase in energy efficiency.

Critical and strategic raw materials

This year, critical raw materials are the theme of International E-Waste Day. They deserve special attention, because of their ever-increasing economic importance. The European Commission has compiled a list of essential raw materials for the green and digital transition with a high risk of disruption to the supply chain.

What is the difference with ‘strategic’ raw materials? “With critical raw materials, it’s mainly about the quantity still available from natural sources. Strategic sources may be in greater supply, but they are not always available for geopolitical reasons. Asia, for example, has vital raw materials for e-mobility and energy applications, but doesn’t always sell them to the West, or only do so at a high price.” 

Can’t we extract enough from our own mines? “There is little mining in Europe, and it’s complicated to start up new sites, which means that we currently rely heavily on imports. The rising demand resulting from the growth of e-mobility and digitisation raises the question of how we can become less dependent on critical and strategic raw materials in Europe.”

Thierry Van Kerckhoven sees the (political) organisation of e-waste flows, as a major concern. “The question is whether exporting e-waste fractions out of the EU is appropriate. Shouldn’t we view the transportation and processing of these materials within the EU from a single market perspective? Incidentally, we are now finding that some markets outside the EU are taking a protectionist stance, which further weakens Europe’s position.

Urban mining as a future-oriented solution

Discarded electrical appliances contain many critical raw materials, so recycling is the way to become increasingly self-sufficient. That is also the European Union’s ambition. Therefore, the recovery of critical and strategic materials has been incorporated into a specific policy framework.

Electronics: a rich source of critical and strategic metals

Discarded electrical appliances contain precious metals that can be efficiently recycled, such as silver, gold, palladium and sometimes also platinum, rhodium and ruthenium. 

Additionally, there are 7 other metals that can be recovered from electrical and electronic appliances: copper, lead, nickel, tin, antimony, bismuth and indium.   

The future of recycling

More recycling means less mining is needed. How can we achieve that? Thierry Van Kerckhoven believes that the first step is to raise consumer awareness. People have a wealth of critical and strategic raw materials lying around in their homes: broken electrical and electronic appliances. 

Recupel constantly encourages people to return their old appliances. Incentives can help. A good example is the collection campaign organised by Recupel and AB with Pommelien Thijs. It recovered 8,900 old phones.

What does Recupel do?

For the transportation and processing of electrical and electronic appliances, Recupel works exclusively with certified partners who have the appropriate permits. For over 10 years, highly valuable printed circuit boards must be separated when dismantling appliances, and delivered to a specialised processor to recycle the elements silver (Ag), gold (Au), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and palladium (Pd), nickel (Ni), tin (Sn) and antimony (Sb). 

Recupel also ensures that reporting on of raw materials recovery occurs transparently and efficiently. Processors can use a new tool to provide proof of what has been recycled and make a calculation or estimate of the quantity of metals (including precious metals) in the processed appliances. The result? We recover 99.99% of all copper and 98.99% of all aluminiumfound in the electrical appliances collected.

Ample availability

• Copper (Cu) – in cables, printed circuit boards, motors.
• Aluminium (Al) – in casings, cooling elements, screen frames.
• Iron and steel (Fe) – in casings, screws, chassis.
• Lithium (Li) – in batteries (especially smartphones, laptops, e-bikes).
• Cobalt (Co) – in lithium-ion batteries.
• Nickel (Ni) – in batteries, stainless steel.

Moderately present

• Tin (Sn) – in welds on printed circuit boards.
• Silver (Ag) – in switches, connectors.
• Gold (Au) – in printed circuit boards, connectors, chips.
• Palladium (Pd) – in switches, sensors.
• Magnesium (Mg) – in light welds.
• Rare earth elements (REEs, e.g. Neodymium, Dysprosium, Terbium) – in electromagnets in hard disks, speakers, wind turbines.

Lower quantities, but high strategic importance

• Tantalum (Ta) – in capacitors (smartphones, laptops).
• Indium (In) – in touchscreens and LCD screens (indium tin oxide, ITO).
• Gallium (Ga) – in semiconductors and LEDs.
• Germanium (Ge) – in optic fibres and infra-red applications.
• Platinum-group metals (Pt, Rh, Ir) – in sensors and catalytic convertors (mainly in automotive electronics).