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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PLATIRUS (PLATInum group metals Recovery Using Secondary raw materials)

Teaser

Summary

The PLATIRUS project builds on recent new developments in ionometallurgy, solvometallurgy and hydrometallurgy, showing the route to miniaturisation, higher levels of recovery yields, lower energy costs and environmental impacts (CO2 by 95% per kg of PGM) compared to the state-of-the-art, hence potentially boosting PGMs recycling levels, which are currently about 80-90% for industrial applications, 50-60% for autocatalysts and only 5-10% for electronics. The key objectives of the project are hence to boost the availability of PGMs in Europe by: 1. Further developing, testing, fine-tuning and selecting the best combination of advanced technologies in three promising and novel PGM recovery routes (1) Ionometallurgy & Solvometallurgy, 2) Advanced Hydrometallurgy, 3) Hydrometallurgy & Pyrometallurgy, based on the use of three actual PGM waste streams (Autocatalysts, Mining Tailings and slag, WEEE). 2. Upscaling the selected PGM recovery and raw material production process to a pre-industrial pilot. 3. Preparing and stimulating market introduction. To achieve objectives, five of the major CRM research centres in Europe, Tecnalia (ES), KUL (B), VUT (A), VITO (B) and SINTEF (NO), will collaborate in developing, benchmarking, selecting, fine tuning and piloting the most advanced recovery processes for PGMs. Two primary and secondary material producers with a consolidated business model, Boliden (NO) and Johnson Matthey (UK), will carry out validation of the innovative recovery processes by installing and testing them in an industrially relevant environment and benchmarking with the currently adopted recovery processes. Recycling company Monolithos (GR) will provide a link to market introduction by manufacturing autocatalysts with second life PGMs obtained via the PLATIRUS technology. Large automotive companies, Fiat (IT) and Ford (TR) will validate these catalysts, and ensure end-user industry driven value chains for recovered PGM materials. LCA, economic and environment assessment of the whole process will be carried out by SME Env-Aqua (UK) supported by Tecnalia and Fiat. Finally, the PLATIRUS project will be linked to European and extra-European relevant stakeholders, research activities and industries, with a solid dissemination, communication and
exploitation plan developed and carried out by PNO Innovation (BE).

Work performed

PLATIRUS has three phases, 1. R&I; 2. Selection and lab validation; 3. Validation in industrial environment and preparation of market deployment. During the first 18M period, consortium have mainly worked on phase 1 and part of phase 2. R&D partners (TECN, VUT, KUL, VITO, SINTEF including JM) have finished the majority of WP3 (leaching), and the leaching technologies were ranked by WP7 team (considering cost, energy and environment) with the help of JM and MONOLITHOS to facilitate the pre-selection at M24. The selected WP3 process (VITO process) were further linked to WP4 (KUL process) and WP5 (VITO process). The other technologies will be further optimized until M24 (pre-selection) to reduce the cost, energy and environment issues. KUL process has developed more in WP4, therefore the selected WP3 VITO process were linked to KUL WP4 process. VITO WP3 output will be treated by WP4 KUL process where it produces individual metal salts by separation from impurities. At this moment, the most promising WP5 process is VITO GDEx process. Therefore, KUL WP4 output will be linked with VITO WP5 process. This plan was made to prepare for MS4 at M24 (pre-selection of technologies in WP3-5). However, all other technologies will be further optimized until M24.
Environmental and economic assessments of pre-process, leaching in WP3, and separation in WP4 were conducted and submitted D7.1 (environmental and economic assessment of pre-process (WP2) R&I chemistries and technologies), D7.2 (environmental and economic assessment of leaching (WP3) R&I chemistries and technologies), and D7.3 (environmental and economic assessment of separation (WP4) R&I chemistries and technologies) respectively. Furthermore, based on WP7, D7.2, the initial selection of leaching technologies in WP3 was carried out in a separate technical meeting at VITO (2nd Mar, 2018).
Since the project involves the full value chain to prove technical and economic viability of this technology for recycling catalyst, tailings and WEEE waste, a Value Chains Stakeholders Analysis Report has been realized by PNO and submitted the deliverable D8.1 (value chain stakeholders analysis report). The report is aiming, on one hand, at setting up targeted dissemination and communications actions towards the relevant group of stakeholders from a specific value chain, and on the other hand, to provide information to the public at large on the relevant industrial and academic stakeholders that are connected to the topic of the recovery of PGMs.
Several clustering teleconferences were organized with projects coordinators of the projects which are with same call topic of PLATIRUS. First clustering event was organized in parallel to M12 meeting in Turin, Italy. The next innovation hub will be organized in Oct, 2018 in Athens, Greece.

Final results

The current major existing plants capable of recycling PGMs are based on a combination of pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods, involving high energy consumption and creating large volumes of liquid wastes that are dangerous for the environment, thus the benefit of having a recovery process is dramatically decreased. Therfeore, PLATIRUSâ€™ claim that the novel integrated technologies and direct PGMs production route are technically and economically feasible will prove to be true, industrial investments into an actual European secondary PGM production sector within the upcoming 5 years are likely to increase. Starting from the autocatalysts and WEEE value chain, supply may be sourced from waste directly in Europe, dramatically mitigating Europeâ€™s dependency on imports from Africa and Russia. Therefore, the use of PGM-abundant primary and secondary resources available in Europe as potential source of PGM metals suppliers to be used in new products is considered to be the most important outcome of the project. The project devoted to the recovery of PGMs and obtaining a new autocatalyst to be used in new vehicle from that recycled PGMs. Moreover, the consortiumâ€™s efforts will develop market data and business cases for a new European secondary PGM production sector, creating new jobs, increasing Europeâ€™s independence from imports, and providing valuable raw materials for fast-growing European green technology industries. By accomplishing this, the project is not only fostering competitiveness, but resource efficiency and environmental benefits as well.