Issue 2/2021

We have many unique strengths to our customers benefit.

First of all, we have the full flowsheet in our portfolio (from e-scrap to metals – smelting, gas handling, hydrometallurgy). The second strength is that we have our own R&D centers where we can test different raw materials to optimize our customers processes, which also enables us to develop new processes. We even have our own HSC Sim Software for the process simulation, which is used widely in the industry. The third strength is that we know e-scrap, this is something where we have references and we have the required experience and knowhow to effectively build and commission plants.

We visited the E-waste World Conference and Expo in Frankfurt Germany at the beginning of December. Read our blog on the event here or see more articles below. The safety of the event was handled well and there were a few hundred interested participants. There were a lot of interesting presentations and discussions in the event, and I would like to share some of the most interesting topics with you.

One hot topic definitely is the small scale plants. The key question we hear from everywhere is “what is the smallest feasible size?” We have our Kaldo TBRC based process for the small scale but we have since developed an even smaller scale plant for processing below 10ktpa volumes in a feasible way. E-scrap is generated everywhere globally and in many locations, like USA and Europe, and there is an established industry to source this material to large smelters to recycle it. But there is a need in many regions to have local smaller recycling unit for treating the generated e-scrap. Shipping waste over borders is not always easy and it is the responsible way to recycle the waste locally. This is why we see that we need a feasible small scale plant product for small scale to complement our offering for e-scrap.

Another interesting topic was the declining grade of e-scrap. The processes needs to be versatile to handle a wide range of raw materials and the composition of the e-scrap will continue to develop in the future. This also needs to be taken into account during the planning and design of a new facility. The process and gas handling equipment needs to be flexible to handle many types of feed material.

I thank you all for the good cooperation during 2021 and I wish you a very successful new year 2022. We look forward to being able to start meeting you in person during the coming months.

Lauri Närhi
Director, Sales, Smelting Business Line
Metso Outotec