Exploiting our urban mine in electronic products

Transcription

1 Exploiting our urban mine in electronic products a good opportunity and a complex challenge Application know-how Metals Chemistry material Material science solutions Metallurgy Material solutions Recycling Dr. Christian Hagelüken NGU Day Trondheim

2 Umicore a materials technology company Ø 50% of metal needs from Recycling Metals Application know-how Chemistry material Material science solutions Metallurgy Recycling Material solutions Top 10 ranking in global index companies (Jan. 2014) 14,400 people in ~ 80 industrial sites worldwide, turnover 2012 : 12.5 Billion (2.4 B excl. metals) 2

3 Significance of technology metals Recycling opportunities & challenges the system approach Technical & economical challenges in extractive metallurgy Conclusion overall requirements & way forward

4 Booming product sales & increasing functionality drive demand for (technology) metals Million units Annual global sales of mobile phones Source: after Gartner statistics ( Accumulated global sales until 2010 ~ 10 Billion units forecast 470 Smart Phones Drivers: growing population (Asia!) growing wealth technology development & product performance next wave: tablet computer: 2013 tablets will overpass laptops 2015 more tablets than laptops + PC Achzet et al., Materials critical to the energy industry, Augsburg,

5 Massive shift from geological resources to anthropogenic deposits Mine production since 1980 / since % 90% % mined % mined % in 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% % mined in % 10% 0% Re Ga In Ru Pd Rh Ir REE Si Pt Ta Li Se Ni Co Ge Cu Bi Ag Au Electric & electronic equipment (EEE) Over 40% of world mine production of copper, tin, antimony, indium, ruthenium & rare earths are annually used in EEE Mobile phones & computer account for 4% world mine production of gold and silver and for 20% of palladium & cobalt. Cars > 60% of PGM mine production used for autocatalysts, increasing significance for electronics ( computer on wheels ) and light metals In the last 30 years we extracted > 80% of the REE, PGM, Ga, In, that have ever been mined Clean energy technologies & other high tech applications will further accelerate demand for technology metals (precious metals, semiconductors, rare earths, refractory metals, ) without access to these metals no sustainable development 5

6 Resource scarcity? Earth crust is rich in elements, but some occur in very low concentrations only no mid term absolute exhaustion of metal resources, but frame conditions continue to deteriorate: Quelle: USGS Declining ore grades Increasing ore complexity More difficult mining conditions (depths; mine location; water & energy access) Mining in ecological sensitive areas (rain forest, ocean, Antarctica, ) Rising economic & environmental costs of primary supply 6

7 How to achieve clean solutions without dirty feet? How to secure a sustainable supply? t CO 2 / t primary metal Au High footprint of primary metals production Energy needs & related climate impact Other burden on environment (land, water, biodiversity) In Pt Pd Ru Ag Sn Co Cu 0 Market imbalances already today cause temporary scarcity, due to: Supply restrictions political, trade, speculation; regional or company oligopolies, by-product challenges, Limits of substitution Surges in demand critical metals identification for the EU & others Recycling offers solutions for both challenges 7

9 Focus circular economy - metals can be recycled eternally without losses of properties Dissipation Residues Use product reuse Residues Product manufacture New scrap End-of-Life Metals, alloys & compounds from industrial materials Recycling Residues reduce metal losses along all steps of lifecycle Reduce generation of residues Collect residues comprehensively & recycle these efficiently Improve metal yields by using high quality recycling processes Raw materials production Residues from Concentrates & ores Natural resources Historic wastes (tailings, landfills) Based on: C.E.M. Meskes: Coated magnesium, designed for sustainability?, PhD thesis Delft University of Technology,

10 Recycling of most technology metals still lags way behind WEEE: precious metal recycling rates below 15% End-of-Life recycling rates for metals in metallic applications UNEP (2011) Recycling Rates of Metals A Status Report, A Report of the Working Group on the Global Flows to the International Resource Panel. New report (April 2013): Metal Recycling: Opportunities, Limits, Infrastructure 10

11 Recycling & circular economy as key contributors Primary mining ~ 5 g/t Au in ore Similar for PGMs Urban mining 150 g/t Au, 40 g/t Pd & Ag, Cu, Sn, Sb, in PC motherboards 300 g/t Au, 50 g/t Pd in cell phones 2,000 g/t PGM in automotive catalysts factor 40 & more State-of-the-art recycling improves access to raw material is for many technology metals far less energy intensive than mining 11

12 What is Recycling? Million loss by Recycling of coinage scrap in China old 1 & 2 coins were shipped as scrap metal to China. But there instead of smelting and refining the coin rings and centres were repaired and shipped back. They were then exchanged at the German Bundesbank against real money More transparency needed about real activities not only for coin scrap 12

13 Is this recycling? example low tech gold recycling in India Standard for many backyard processes Gold-yield 25%, dramatic impacts on health & environment (Rochat, Keller, EMPA 2007) photo: EMPA/CH 13

14 Where Should We Draw The Line? Google Hits "Electronics Recycling 7

15 Recycling needs a chain, not a single process - system approach is crucial Example recycling of WEEE Recovery of technology metals from circuit boards Number of actors in Europe 1000 s 100 s Global smelting & refining of technology metals (metallurgy) Collection 10,000 s Dismantling Preprocessing <10 products components/ fractions metals Investment needs Total efficiency is determined by weakest step in the chain Make sure that relevant fractions reach most appropriate refining processes Example: 30% x 90% x 60% x 95% = 15% 15

16 Challenge 1: relevant products/fractions don t reach suitable recycling processes a) Low collection ambitious targets & new business models are required b) Deviation of collected goods dubious exports low quality recycling Tracing & Tracking, controls & enforcement, stakeholder responsibility, transparency : 16

17 Technology metals need smart recycling - traditional mass focussed recycling does not fit Bottle glass Steel scrap Circuit boards Autocatalysts + Green glass White glass Brown glass PM & specialty metals PGMs Mono-substance materials without hazards Trace elements remain part of alloys/glass Recycling focus on mass & costs Poly-substance materials, incl. hazardous elements Complex components as part of complex products Place focus on trace elements & value 17

18 Challenge 2: How to recover low concentrated technology metals from complex products? source: Markus Reuter, Outotec & Antoinette Van Schaik, MARAS (2010) Product manufacturing manual/mechanical metallurgical recovery preprocessing Technical-organisational improvement needs along entire chain: Inappropriate product design Insufficient alignment within recycling chain (system & interface management) Insufficient use of recognised high-quality recycling installations Laws of nature (thermodynamics) prohibit recovery of all metals in some complex inappropriate material mixes ( composition conflict ) 18

19 The mechanical pre-processing challenge - materials separation for final metallurgical recovery EoL product Avoid dissipation of trace elements Gold losses of up to 75% if PC- motherboards are not removed prior to shredding 100% gold losses in a car shredder Preprocessing End-processing Ferecovery Alrecovery Curecovery PMrecovery plasticsrecycling Disposal of hazardous materials Rare Earth recycling from magnets Co-Li recycling from rechargeable batteries Indium from LCD screens versatile integrated smelter processes for Cu, PM & some special metals Precious + special metals Slags & other residues Dedicated processes for certain components & special metals 19

20 Multi-metal recycling with modern technology High tech & economies of scale Umicore s integrated smelter-refinery in Hoboken/Antwerp Treatment of t/a, global customer base ISO & 9001, OHSAS Recovery of 20 metals with innovative metallurgy from WEEE, catalysts, batteries, smelter by-products etc. Au, Ag, Pt, Pd, Rh, Ru, Ir, Cu, Pb, Ni, Sn, Bi, Se, Te, Sb, As, In (via versatile multi feed process). Co, REE (via specialised process for battery materials) Value of precious metals enables co-recovery of specialty metals ( paying metals ) High energy efficiency by smart mix of materials and sophisticated technology High metal yields, minimal emissions & final waste

22 Umicore Precious Metals Refining flowsheet - pyrometallurgy as initial process for most materials The Precious Metals Operations (PMO) focus on fast throughput and maximized yields at optimized cost. The Base Metals Operations (BMO) focus on flexibly processing by-products from the PMO at low cost and with optimal throughput times.? What happens with al these elements 22

23 Focus on the 2 mayor smelting steps 23

24 Element distribution at the smelter Sulfuric acid Removed to deposit 24

25 Element distribution at the Pb blast furnace In Recovered out of Flue dust As, Sb, Sn, Bi Recovered from Pb bullion Ni As Recovered out of speiss 25

26 Elements reporting to the end slag Zn, Ga, Ge, Co, Rare Earths, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, W, Ta need to be separated before entering the main flowsheet and/or need to be treated in a separate process. Make sure that beforehand separation of such elements does not lead to unintended co-separation of precious metals etc. 26

27 Example:Umicore Battery Recycling Plant Inauguration Sept Capacity 7000 t/a Special process for recycling of cobalt, copper, nickel, generation of REE concentrates 27

28 Recycling success factors - products & treatment processes must match Product: Sufficient (extractable) value Composition (what is in?) Concentration (how much of it?) Material prices Depending on: Product & technology development Market development Process: Performance & costs Technological efficiency for value recovery (yields, energy, ) Process robustness & flexibility Environmental & social compliance Available volumes Economies of scale Factor costs (labour, energy, capital) Process chain organisation / interface management Process quality Legal, societal & other frame conditions 28

29 Value vs. weight distribution in electronics Plastics, Cu, Fe, Al dominate the weight weight-% plastics Fe Al Cu Au [ppm] Ag [ppm] Pd [ppm] TV-boards dismantled 39% 6% 9% 16% printed circuit board 26% 8% 5% 19% mobile phone handset 41% 10% 2% 12% Precious metals dominate the value Pb, Ni, Sn < 2% Sb, Bi, Ga, As, Ta in ppm level Pt, REE, In = negligible In in LCD screens REE in magnets value-share plastics Fe Al Cu Au Ag Pd Sum PM TV-boards dismantled <1% <1% 3% 36% 27% 10% 10% 47% printed circuit board 0 <1% <1% 14% 65% 6% 9% 80% mobile phone handset <1% <1% <1% 5% 81% 6% 6% 94% Negligible value Contribution from other metals <1% 1-5 % 5-10 % 10-20% 20-50% % > 70% - Metal prices of Sep indicative compositions Precious metals + copper = paying metals, can enable co-recovery of other metals in case of metallurgical (thermodynamical) fit 29

30 Extractable metals value - a closer look on economic challenges in metallurgy Metals that follow the paying metals, e.g. Te, Se, Bi, PGMs Some extra separation & refining steps modest extra costs (major part already covered) Metals extractable from intermediates, e.g. Pb, Ni, Sn, Sb, (In, As) Additional smelting, extraction & refining steps Higher extra costs Sufficient concentration or value? Sufficient contribution potential to metals supply or better focus on lower hanging fruits? Sufficient societal value for R&D efforts Metals reporting to slag, e.g. Ta, Ga, REE, W, (In) Technical hurdles to overcome pre-, inter- or post-metallurgy process High extra costs (capex + opex) supply & price security is key for investment Beware of counter-effects (compositon conflicts) e.g., don t lose Pd/Ag to recover Ta 30

32 Closing the loop - example palladium business models are key challenge for consumer applications Closed loop, benefits of an industrial business model & built-in transparency Open loop high & avoidable losses source: UNEP Resource Panel, press conference presentation, New York City, May 13,

33 Objective: Transparent flows & high quality recycling Certification of recycling processes down to end-processing Channelling into high quality* processes along the entire recycling chain Secure supply of valuable and critical raw materials & avoid environmental damage Creating a level playing field Positive differentiation for quality recyclers (on all steps) Allows reporting & documentation of real flows Provides security for manufacturers, municipalities and consumers * Covering technical, environmental & social performance 33

34 Need for more responsibility & business ethics - a role to play for all stakeholders in the chain Manufacturers, retailers, municipalities: Don t take just the cheapest way, secure quality recycling for your products/streams Understand & check downstream activities, require real transparency on flows Support recycling by appropriate business models and improving product design Recyclers (collection pre-processing end-processing) Follow the rules & walk the talk Take real responsibility for your own outflows Authorities: Set appropriate legal frame conditions and ensure their enforcement Take international responsibility and stop illegal/dubious exports Be consequent in own procurement policy Consumers: Give products into recycling & buy preferentially sustainable products Achieving more quality & transparency is key in recycling chains (as in food & textiles, finance flows, mining of conflict metals, ) Metals sourced from quality recycling are inherently conflict free. New approach for extended producer responsibility 34

35 Concluding Overall recycling success factors Product design & business models Consumerbehaviour Costs & revenues Collection & logistics Mechanical processing Metallurgy Product perspective Material & technology perspective Prerequisites: 1. Technical recyclability as basic requirement 2. Accessibility of relevant components product design 3. Economic viability intrinsically or externally created 4. Completeness of collection business models, legislation, infrastructure 5. Keep within recycling chain transparency of flows 6. Technical-organisational setup of chain recycling quality 7. Sufficient recycling capacity Complex products require a systemic optimisation & interdisciplinary approaches (product development, process engineering, metallurgy, ecology, social & economic sciences) 35

36 Focus circular economy - significant improvements still needed at every step Consider recycling in product design Develop business models to close the loop Recycle production scrap Product manufacture Metals, alloys & compounds New scrap Improve range & yields of recovered metals Improve efficiency of energy & water use Use Reuse from Industrial materials RM production Residues Dissipation from ores Residues Recycling Geological resources End-of-Life Mining & Recycling are complementary systems! Avoid dissipation Minimise residue streams at all steps & recycle these effectively Take a holistic system approach Residues Improve collection Increase transparency of flows Ensure quality recycling Go beyond mass recycling (more focus on technology metals) Develop innovative technologies to cope with technical recycling challenges 36

37 Thanks for your attention! Contact: For more information: Hagelüken, C., C.E.M. Meskers: Complex lifecycles of precious and special metals, in: Graedel, T., E. van der Voet (eds): Linkages of Sustainability, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2010 Hagelüken, C.: Recycling of (critical) metals, in: Gunn, G. (ed): Critical Metals Handbook, Wiley & Sons, 2014 ERA-MIN Research Agenda, 2014,

38 Confusion in public debate about metals? critical metals rare metals rare earths -? H He Li Be B C N O F Ne Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr Rb Cs K Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Ba La-Lu Hf Ta Re La* Ca Ac-Lr Rf Db Bh * Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Sg Hs Mt Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu Xe Rn Precious Metals (PM) Edelmetalle Semiconductors Halbleiter Rare Earth Elements (REE) Seltene Erden Technology metals EU critical metals Technology metals: descriptive expression, comprising most precious and special metals crucial for technical functionality based on their often unique physical & chemical properties (conductivity; melting point; density; hardness; catalytic/optical/magnetic properties, ) mostly used in low concentrations and a complex substance mix ( spice metals ) Key for Hi-Tech and Clean-Tech 38

39 Low metal content per unit but volume counts Example: Metal use in electronics Global sales 2011 a) Mobile phones 1800 million units/ year X125 mg Ag 225 t Ag X 25 mg Au 45 t Au X 5 mg Pd 9 t Pd X 9 g Cu 16,000 t Cu 1800 million Li-Ion batteries X 3.8 g Co 6,800 t Co b) PCs & laptops 365 Million units/year X1000mg Ag 365 t Ag X 220 mg Au 80 t Au X 80 mg Pd 29 t Pd X~500 g Cu 183,000 t Cu ~220 million Li-ion batteries X 65 g Co 14,300 t Co a+b) Urban mine Mine production / share Ag:23,500 t/a 3% Au: 2,800 t/a 4% Pd: 230 t/a 17% Cu: 16 Mt/a 1% Co: ~100,000t/a 21% Containing additionally many other technology metals. Other electr(on)ic & equipment (and cars!) add to these figures significant total demand. Intrinsic value per mobile phone < 1 little economic recycling incentive per unit 39

40 Decoupling of resource use from GDP growth is unlikely for technology metals source: Next steps for EU waste and resource policies, R. v.d.vlies, DG Env., Brussels EU-strategy useful & realistic for base metals, especially if used in infrastructure technical solutions to improve resource efficiency & mitigate climate impact will need more, not less technology metals (PV, EV, catalysis etc.) Many technology metals are by-products from carrier base metals, their supply will drop in case of: Successful decoupling for base metals (Cu, Zn, Ni, Al, Pb) PGM Improved recycling of base metals Supply restrictions for lead, nickel etc. Double challenge to secure supply of technology metals 40