SMS Group

Modular Recovery Plant for PCB Recycling

The modular recovery plant, in operation since the second quarter of 2016, is based on a proven process for efficiently recovering valuable metals. The process begins with the shredding of 80 tons of PCB boards, which are then sorted into different material fractions. At this stage, plastics and aluminum are removed, while non-ferrous metals (NE), ferrous metals (FE), and flakes are prepared for further processing.

These materials then undergo two sequential furnace steps, where they are heated and processed. During this thermal treatment, slag is formed as a byproduct, along with copper-bearing material, which is directed to the metal recovery stages.

Metal recovery is carried out in several steps. Through the anode process, lead and silver are separated, while electrolysis is used to extract copper. In the final stage, a smelting process is applied to recover gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copper, tin, and lead.

As a byproduct of the metal recovery process, slag remains. Additionally, any wastewater (WWT) generated during the process is treated in a dedicated system.

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