Recycled products from the side streams of the metal and mining industries

Problem

The side streams of metal and mining industries include vast volumes of materials which usually end up in spoil tips. Although spoil tips are generally well managed, they can release heavy metals into soil and water bodies. Spoil tips contain valuable metals which could be captured and turned into viable business opportunities. On the other hand, the increasing demand for electric cars increases the need for battery chemicals. The production methods currently used in their extraction often generate vast amounts of greenhouse gas emissions.

Solution: recycled products from the side streams of the metal and mining industries

CrisolteQ cleans industrial side streams using hydrometallurgical processes which extract different components into recyclable products. Thanks to the company’s technology, side streams can be used almost in their entirety. The solution provides a sustainable way to extract valuable metals and other materials from industrial side streams and to reprocess them as battery chemicals, for instance.

Revenue logic and benefits to CrisolteQ

The company charges an acceptance fee for side streams and sells finished products. CrisolteQ uses an existing infrastructure, as it operates from an industrial park. As a tenant of another industrial operator, the company has access to the site’s facilities, steam, pressurised air, cooling water and other resources.

Benefits to customers and end users

Industrial operators have a better way of disposing of hazardous waste which would otherwise be placed in spoil tips. Customers who buy the recycled end products can boost their green credentials. In addition, the company aims to sell the recycled products at slightly lower prices than virgin raw materials, thus offering customers additional savings.