SciTransfer
RETURN · Project

Low-Cost High-Efficiency Metal Recovery System for Electronic Waste Recycling

environmentTestedTRL 4

Imagine a way to get almost all the precious metals out of old circuit boards using a special salt bath instead of harsh chemicals. It's like using a smart filter and a digital catalog to sort through electronic junk and put the valuable parts back into the market. This makes recycling electronics as easy as plugging a small machine into an existing waste center.

By the numbers
>99%
metal recovery rate from waste PCB panels
89%
industry ratio in consortium
The business problem

What needed solving

Current electronic waste recycling is often inefficient, expensive, and fails to recover a high percentage of critical metals. This leads to resource scarcity and high costs for raw materials in the EU electronics market.

The solution

What was built

A system combining eco-friendly liquid salt electrochemical recovery, digital sorting tools, and a Dynamic Digital Marketplace for recovered components.

Audience

Who needs this

WEEE recycling facility operatorsCritical raw material procurement managersPCB manufacturersCircular economy investment funds
Business applications

Who can put this to work

Waste Management
any
Target: WEEE recycling center

If you are a recycling center dealing with low recovery rates from circuit boards — this project developed a low-investment facility setup that recovers >99% of metals. This allows you to turn waste streams into high-value material sales without massive infrastructure costs.

Electronics Manufacturing
enterprise
Target: PCB manufacturer

If you are a manufacturer dealing with raw material shortages for critical metals — this project developed a Dynamic Digital Marketplace and Digital Product Passports. This provides a reliable, closed-loop source of recovered materials to feed back into your production line.

Mining and Metallurgy
SME
Target: Urban mining startup

If you are a metal recovery firm dealing with high energy costs for smelting — this project developed low-energy electrochemical processes using liquid salts. This reduces the operational cost of extracting critical materials from electronic waste.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What is the expected cost of implementing this system?

Based on available project data, the system is designed for low investment levels by integrating facilities directly into existing recycling centers.

Can this be scaled to an industrial level?

Yes, the project focuses on techno-economic viability and commercial attractiveness to ensure the recovery process works within existing recycling infrastructure.

How is the intellectual property or licensing handled?

Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not listed, but the project includes sustainability and performance data to support post-project exploitation.

What regulations does this address?

The project aligns with EU circular economy goals by using Digital Product Passports to return recovered materials to EU markets.

When will the technology be available for adoption?

The project runs from 2025-06-01 to 2028-05-31, suggesting commercial availability after May 2028.

Consortium

Who built it

The consortium is heavily industry-driven, with 8 out of 9 partners being industrial entities (89% ratio) and all 9 partners being SMEs. This structure suggests a strong focus on commercial application and market entry rather than theoretical research, with a lean 1-university presence to support the technical electrochemical processes.

How to reach the team

Contact Argo Natural Resources Limited in the UK

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Contact us to connect with the RETURN consortium for early adoption pilots.

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