PROJECT PERIODIC REPORT

Transcription

1 PROJECT PERIODIC REPORT Grant Agreement number: Project acronym: RECYVAL-NANO Project title: Development of recovery processes for recycling of valuable components from FPDs (In, Y, Nd) for the production of high added value NPs Funding Scheme: Collaborative Project Date of latest version of Annex I against which the assessment will be made: Periodic report: 1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th Period covered: from 1 December 2012 to 31 May 2014 Name, title and organisation of the scientific representative of the project's coordinator 1 : Luis Martinez de Morentin, R&D Responsible, L`Urederra Fundación para el Desarrollo Tecnológico y Social Tel: Fax: luis.martinez@lurederra.es Project website 2 address: 1 Usually the contact person of the coordinator as specified in Art of the Grant Agreement. 2 The home page of the website should contain the generic European flag and the FP7 logo which are available in electronic format at the Europa website (logo of the European flag: logo of the 7th FP: The area of activity of the project should also be mentioned.

2 3.1 Publishable summary A summary description of project context and objectives, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment is considered to increase drastically in the coming decades. WEEE contains considerable quantities of valuable components used in high-tech applications that currently are not recycled. Europe needs to improve and develop Recovery, Recycling and Reuse of critical materials in order to avoid the dependency on imports, high prices and risk of supply imposed by countries owning mineral reserves. RECYVAL-NANO project will develop an innovative recycling process for recovery and reuse of indium, yttrium and neodymium metals from Flat Panels Displays (FPD), one of the most growing waste sources. The project will be addressed not only to the recovery of these critical elements, but also the recycling process developed will result in the direct extraction of metallorganic precursors for direct reuse in the production of high added value nanoparticles that is ITO, Y2O3:Eu3+ and Nd-Fe-B. The project will develop an integral study of the recycling process, starting with logistic issues of the waste collection, optimising mechanical sorting technologies and developing innovative ones for the recovery and concentration of smaller fractions containing indium, yttrium and neodymium, developing simplified solvent extraction routes based on tailored chemical extraction agents able to extract a 95 % of the key metal in a metallorganic extracted solutions, and using these extracted solutions as precursors in the direct production of advanced nanoparticles. RECYVAL-NANO will validate the recycling process developed through the construction, optimisation and demonstration of full pilot lines for mechanical recycling of FPDs and hydrometallurgical metal recovery processes. Finally, the demonstration of the superior performance application of ITO, Y2O3:Eu3+ and Nd-Fe-B nanoparticles in electronic applications of transparent conductors, LEDs and permanent magnets respectively will complete the entire cycle of the project. A description of the work performed since the beginning of the project and the main results achieved so far, RECYVAL-NANO project started on December During the first months of the project, firstly a vast definition of waste collection, type of wastes, metal contents as well as the fine definition of the initial strategies to be developed in terms of mechanical recycling, hydrometallurgical processes and synthesis of nanoparticles and final products performance was made. Coolrec, the leading recycling company set the starting point of the project for the recovery of metals of interest from FPD based on their current recycling process. The plant located in Apparec is currently recycling FPDs in order to recover major fractions such as plastics, ferrous materials, aluminium, etc. The recycling process was analysed as well as the output fractions in order to define most interesting target streams for the recovery of indium, yttrium and neodymium. Different fractions were selected based on the analyses in order to be interesting to recover the metals, but also in order to give a new value to those fractions which in the current process represented a waste and therefore a cost and not revenue. Of the initial 2

3 analyses done, the fractions where found to be very complex as a wide range of metals was present, and a large number of impurities were found. During the first period of the project, two major activities have been developed. On one hand, the group of experts in development and construction of mechanical recycling processes, MOS, Coolrec and TUDelft have been investigating different methodologies and technologies in order to increase the quantity of interesting fractions or increase the purity. Finally, at this stage, based on the different aspects analysed, a new recycling FPD line has been designed which a capacity that could reach up to 1000 kg/h. Main improvements has been the introduction of preliminary suitable manual dismantling procedures in order to separate some high valuable materials previous to the shredding where mercury is eliminated. In addition, means of increasing purity of other fractions has been analysed and are proposed for the final design, pending to finally validate economic and technical interest for the global process. One example is the use of Magnetic Density Separation which is being developed by TUDelft and which will allow increase the purity of the glass fraction, which as it is envisaged could one of the interesting fractions for the recovery of yttrium. Final assessment in technical and economic terms is being developed which will give in the next months a definitive solution for the first stage of the project. The second major activity which has been developed in the first period of the project is the initial development and assessment of hydrometallurgical processes for the refining of the fractions in order to extract a pure solution containing the metals of interest. In this way, Chalmers University has been working in the research of the main parameters affecting the leaching of the streams and also has initiated some solvent extraction experiments with extractants. Preliminary extraction routes has been defined based on these experiments however, additional investigations will be developed in next months and focusing the development of alternative extracting routes using extracting agents and acids containing only CHON molecules which will be used directly in the productions of nanoparticles by pyrolysis in only one step. In addition, solvent strategies has been applied by TWI in the refining of fractions obtained from the mechanical recycling process in order to both concentrate metals of interest for their recovery and revalue current PET polymer which now is discarded in the mechanical recycling process. Finally, in parallel to the technical developments made in the project, LCA methodology is being developed by Lurederra which in the next months will give indications for the mechanical and hydrometallurgical processes in order to assess environmental impact and benefits. The expected final results and their potential impact and use (including the socioeconomic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far), The most important result in the project will be to develop at pilot scale global recycling process for FPDs including mechanical separation of valuable materials and hydrometallurgical processes for refining critical metals such as indium, yttrium and neodymium validated and demonstrated at technical, economical and environmental level in such way that will represent an industrially viable alternative for the recycling industry. 3

4 Each year, about 9 million tons of WEEE are generated EU-wide. By 2020 this is anticipated to grow to 12.3 million tons. At the moment, only a third of the WEEE on the EU market is officially reported as collected and treated according to the WEEE Directive. In addition, the recovery and recycling of Rare Earth Metals presently is less than 3%. In this way, RECYVAL-NANO is expected to have a clear and positive impact on environment through the development of a global recycling strategy of growing WEEE wastes as are FPDs, recovering short-supply materials for their revalorisation. In this sense, avoiding further exploitation of natural resources through extraction of these metals from existing or new mines which represent a high negative environmental impact due to contamination and modification of the ecosystems of these areas. In addition to the mentioned problematic regarding waste generation and current recycling situation of WEEEs containing considerable quantities of valuable metals, the demand of critical materials is increasing too fast in comparison with their production due to the large field of applications where these metals are essential. This situation also results in an increment of the prices which are subjected to continuous variability as well as their supply which is controlled by the countries possessing mine reserves. In this way, Europe is in a clear disadvantage position, as deposits are situated in other regions such as China, India or Russia. Europe is import dependent on these metals and therefore is subject to supply shortage periods. Recycling strategies such as the one in RECYVAL-NANO project represents a potential solution in order to overcome the Europe dependence of other countries in the supply of critical materials, therefore enabling the European market to promote the creation of new companies in not only the recycling, but also in the transformation of raw materials to manufacture electronic systems and devices and the research of new materials and improved applications, therefore improving the industrial competiveness of European markets. RECYVAL-NANO project will introduce also a competitive advantage in the innovative recycling strategy to be developed which is to increase the added value of the recycled products by using them directly in the production of high-efficient nanoparticles. In this way, innovative knowledge and applications will be assessed in the project, therefore promoting also the field of new materials and applications based on nanotechnology. The address of the project public website, if applicable LIST OF PARTNERS Partner 1 - Coordinator CENTRO TECNOLÓGICO LUREDERRA 4

5 Address: Área Industrial Perguita, calle A, nº Los Arcos (Navarra) España Phone: (+34) Partner 2 Coolrec BV Address: Flight Forum 240, NL-5657 DH Eindhoven Phone: Partner 3 Tecnología Navarra de Nanoproductos Address: Área Industrial Perguita, calle A, nº Los Arcos (Navarra) España Phone: (+34) Partner 4 ABCR Laboratorios, S.L. Address: Polígono Industrial de Vilapouca, 36555, Forcarei, Pontevedra. Partner 5 MACHINEFABRIEK OTTO SCHOUTEN Address: Bedrijvenstraat JH Giessen. Phone: 0031 (0) Partner 6 5

6 MEAB Metallextraktion AB Address: Datavägen 51, S Askim, Sweden Partner 7 Epi-light Address: Hoffmann Park, Inchera, Little Island, Cork Partner 8 TWI Ltd Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge, CB212 6AL Partner 9 Chalmers University of Technology Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering SE Göteborg, Sweden Phone: Partner 10 6

7 Delft University of Technology Address: Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN, Delft, The Netherlands Partner 11 Plasma Quest Limited Unit 1B Rose Estate, Osborn Way, Hook, UK, RG27 9UT 7