Closing the loop - a story of transformation. Dr. Christian Hagelüken Director of EU Government Affairs, Umicore

Transcription

1 Closing the loop - a story of transformation Dr. Christian Hagelüken Director of EU Government Affairs, Umicore

2 A materials technology & recycling company Top 10 ranking in global index companies (Jan. 2014) ~ 50% of metal needs from Recycling Metals Application know-how Chemistry material Material science solutions Metallurgy Material solutions Recycling 14,057 people in 76 industrial sites worldwide, turnover ,8 Bio ( 2.4 Bio excl. metals) 2

3 3 From mining to materials technology drastic changes in business activities, product portfolio & company culture

4 Umicore s strength in recycling Result of a strategic transformation at the Hoboken site 1887 Start of a lead de-silvering operation in Hoboken 1995 Start of major investment program to re-engineer flowsheet 2013 Modernised flowsheet treating 350,000 t/y Investments since 1997: >500 Mio ; (comparable green field plant: >> 1 Bio! strategic decision to create flexible operations to process complex materials major re-engineering of complete metallurgical flowsheet, substantial capacity increase clean-up of historical pollution in surrounding areas 4

5 Umicore s Hoboken smelter today ISO & 9001, OHSAS t/a of precious metals bearing secondary materials (WEEE, catalysts, smelter byproducts etc.), Recovery of 17 metals: Au, Ag, Pt, Pd, Rh, Ru, Ir, Cu, Pb, Ni, Sn, Bi, Se, Te, Sb, As, In Innovative special processes for more metals: rechargeable batteries Co, REE The value of precious metals enables co-recovery of specialty metals 5 High metal yields & energy efficiency, minimal emissions & final waste

6 Umicore s Business Approach - much more than recycling We transform metals into hitech materials We use application know-how to create tailor-made solutions in close collaboration with our customers We close the loop and secure supply by recycling production scrap and end-of-life materials We aim to minimize our environmental impact and be the best employer and neighbour 6

7 Key megatrends for Umicore More stringent emission control Electrification of the automobile Renewable energy Resource scarcity 7 Electrification of the automobile Renewable energy 7

8 Umicore s integrated role in supply chains Today (autocat) Tomorrow (fuel cell) Fuel cell stack manufacturer 8 Other examples: electronics, rechargeable batteries,

9 Societal challenges Growing population and wealth drive resource use & related impacts Technology materials are part of the solution but their scarcity is another issue to be dealt with Resource efficiency & circular economy are key tools to overcome scarcity Need for innovation in technology and transformation in business models & stakeholder cooperation 9

10 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 goes into auto catalysts, 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 10

11 Focus circular economy metals can be recycled eternally without loss of properties Dissipation Residues Use product reuse Residues Product manufacture New scrap End-of-Life 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 11 Metals, alloys & compounds from industrial materials Recycling Raw materials production Residues from Concentrates & ores Residues Natural resources Historic wastes (tailings, landfills) Based on: C.E.M. Meskes: Coated magnesium, designed for sustainability?, PhD thesis Delft University of Technology, 2008

12 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

13 Investment needs 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 Collection 10,000 s Dismantling Preprocessing products components/ fractions Global smelting & refining of technology metals (metallurgy) <10 metals Total efficiency is determined by weakest step in the chain Make sure that relevant fractions reach most appropriate refining processes 13 Example: 30% x 90% x 60% x 95% = 15%

14 Innovative business models & new ways of stakeholder cooperation are crucial Metallurgy Product design & business models Consumerbehaviour Costs & revenues Collection & logistics Mechanical processing Material & technology perspective Product perspective Success factors: 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. Prevention of dubious flows transparency & monitoring 6. Technical-organisational setup of chain recycling quality 7. Sufficient recycling capacity Systemic optimisation & interdisciplinary approaches are needed between stakeholders 14 involved in product value chains, offering win-wins & further synergies

15 Thank You 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