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MATERIALS WE TREAT

Umicore is a world leader in the eco-efficient recycling of a wide range of electronic materials, ranging from:

1. High value to low value material
   
   
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   Low value to high value material

   Please be aware that "low" and "high" value are relative terms only, and even a "high value" electronic scrap is low value compared, for instance, with a precious metal catalyst. The following examples give some general indications for typical material categories:
   
   Low value:
   TV-boards, monitor boards, (cordless) phones, calculators, shredded bulk material after Al-/Fe-separation, etc.
   Medium value:
   PC-boards, laptop-and handheld-computers, some mobile phones, etc.
   High value:
   Circuit boards from mainframes, some mobile phones, ICs, MLCCs
   
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2. Production residues to end-of-life streams (e.g. printed circuit boards)
   
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   Production residues and end-of-life streams

   Typical materials are populated or unpopulated circuit boards with or without precious metals, punchings and lead frames containing precious metals, multi-layer ceramic capacitors (MLCC), IC's, ...but also small devices like mobile phones, calculators, handheld computers etc.
   We can guarantee controlled and well-documented destruction and recycling, safely ruling out any unwanted re-use of parts. Prior to sampling, the material is stored in a secured area. All information provided is kept strictly confidential. All material streams are traceable and can be demonstrated to our suppliers transparently.
   
   Hint: Please keep different categories of production residue separate in order to facilitate optimum sampling and treatment. Please provide indicative information on the quantities and quality of your production scrap and end-of-life streams when requesting recycling quotation.
   Minimum quantities depend on category and quality; please contact us for details.
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   Printed circuit boards (PCB's) = Printed wiring boards (PWB's) / Fractions containing printed circuit boards

   These are typically categorised into different qualities, depending on their gold content. See pictures for examples.

   • High grade: gold content of minimum 400 ppm
   • Medium grade : gold content of minimum 200 ppm
   • Low grade: gold content of minimum 100 ppm
   • Very low grade: gold content lower than 100 ppm

   For the last category, further distinction can be made depending on the presence of burnables (+ or - 50% of plastic)
   HINT: Remove large Al/Fe-parts but be careful - especially in case of shredding and sorting - not to lose valuable (precious) metals in side streams. For high and medium grade boards avoid pre-treatment and ship as they are.
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3. Components like IC's to small entire devices (e.g. mobile phones)
   
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   Components

   IC's, multi-layer ceramic capacitors, transistors, .......whether derived from end-of-life materials or production scrap (see above). We will homogenise, sample and accurately analyse your materials prior to treating them in state-of-the-art recovery processes.
   
   HINT: Do not unnecessarily mix PM-containing with non-PM components. Try to avoid/remove large aluminium or steel parts, since these increase processing costs. However, when removing these parts, make sure you do not lose precious metals with them.
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   Mobile Phones and other small entire devices

   From an eco-efficiency perspective the best option is - after removal of the batteries - to treat such material directly in our integrated smelter/refinery without prior shredding and sorting into various fractions. By this direct treatment, otherwise inevitable losses of valuable metals into side streams (Fe-, Al-, plastics-fraction) can be safely avoided and additional pre-treatment costs are saved. Usually, in mobile phones or similar small devices the intrinsic economic and environmental value of the precious metals and copper far exceeds the value of the iron and aluminium they contain. In addition, their plastic parts cannot be recycled economically (mixed types, polluted by pigments and flame retardants, high separation costs). Our integrated smelting/refining process recovers numerous metals from mobile phones (incl. Sn, Pb, In, ...) and makes use of the reducing potential and the energy content of the plastics, while safely complying with the strict emission levels. For further information see publications.
   For low value material, a gate fee is possible and can still be more cost- and environmental efficient than shredding, sorting and treatment of the various material fractions
   
   Hint: Prior to shipment remove batteries of small devices and keep these separate. Umicore can also offer dedicated recycling solutions for Lithium-Iron and Nickel-Metal hydride batteries. Please ask for details.
   There is, however, no general solution. Most brown and grey goods like computers require pre-treatment such as manual dismantling and/or mechanical breaking up and sorting of fractions. Make sure the pre-treatment facility operates in an environmental-compliant and efficient way, including the handling of the various fractions produced.
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4. Plastics with residual metal to metallic granule fractions
   
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   Mixed plastics with residual metal

   In mechanical shredding and sorting processes (pre-treatment) for e-scrap, large volumes of mixed plastic fractions are usually generated and it is mostly not economically viable to separate these further and recover the various types of plastic. The most common outlets for these mixed fractions - landfill and incineration plants - are becoming increasingly restricted and costly given recent legislative developments. Furthermore, all residual metals still contained in them would inevitably be lost. Separating residual metals by mechanical means can become quite costly while generating only little additional metal value.
   
   Umicore can process such fractions, recovering copper, precious metals and many other metals contained and partly replacing coke and fuel used in the recovery process. This is only possible thanks to the sophisticated off-gas and water purification equipment installed at the Hoboken facility, safely preventing the emission of dioxins, furanes or other harmful elements. Up to a certain range this process is able to handle bromine and other halogens, which are often included in these plastic fractions as flame retardants.
   For more detailed information see Publications.
   Depending on quantity and composition, Umicore can offer an environmentally sound treatment of such fractions for a gate fee or else - if the metal content allows - on toll refining terms.
   
   HINT: Please provide typical samples of your metal-contaminated mixed plastic fractions with an indication of respective volumes. For the calculation of the economic viability of your different outlet options, include your internal costs arising from preparing/separating the material as well as those from disposing of the various side streams.
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   Metallic granule fractions

   These fractions can be generated after shredding / granulating production scraps and after a sophisticated treatment of end-of-life material streams.
   
   HINT: Watch out for excessive pre-processing, as this not only could entail additional cost, but might also lead to substantial losses of (precious) metals, as well as the production of fractions that could no longer be commercialised. For advice, please seek our assistance.
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5. "Commodities" to complex materials containing elements of interest
   
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   (Precious) metal containing dusts

   These dusts occur in most shredding, milling and other pre-treatment processes and for environmental reasons must be carefully collected in filter and bag-house systems. They can have a relatively high (precious) metal content, but also significant amounts of pollutants as well as high burn-loss constituents like plastics, paper and wood.
   Depending on the quantity and composition of these dusts, Umicore can offer an environmentally sound treatment against a gate fee or else - if the metal content allows - on toll refining terms.
   
   HINT: Please provide typical samples of your dusts with an indication of respective volumes. Keep dusts of different origins separate and ask for our specific refining quotation. Pelletisation of the dust can facilitate sampling and treatment.
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We source our materials on a worldwide basis from Asia/Australia and across Europe to the Americas.

We provide customised solutions to manufacturers, collectors, pre-processors and other stakeholders in the electronics lifecycle, making use of a network of global sales offices and partners.