Periodic Reporting for period 3 - PLATIRUS (PLATInum group metals Recovery Using Secondary raw materials)
Período documentado: 2019-11-01 hasta 2021-04-30
exploitation plan developed and carried out by PNO Innovation (BE).
Three promising and novel PGM recovery routes (1) Ionometallurgy & Solvometallurgy, 2) Advanced Hydrometallurgy, 3) Hydrometallurgy & Pyrometallurgy, for three waste streams (Autocatalysts, anode slime, WEEE)) were studied on phase 1 by R&D partners (TEC, VUT, KUL, VITO, SINTEF, JM). Routes 1 and 2 represents three separate WPs (WP3-Leaching, WP4-Separation, and WP5-Recovery) whereas route 3 represents WP5. The R&I work was finished for the three WPs (WP3, WP4 and WP5). The pre-selection of technologies was completed in M24 as MS4 (Pre-selection of the PLATIRUS technology) as per GA. VITO's "Microwave assisted leaching" in WP3 (leaching), KUL's "Split-anion extraction with ionic liquids and stripping processes" in WP4 (separation) and VITO's "Gas-Diffusion Electrocrystallization (GDEx) process" in WP5 (recovery) were pre-selected. This selection was done through a set of KPIs including higher yields, reduced cost, energy efficiency, reduced reaction time, miniaturization and lower environmental impact. From M24 onward, the selected processes were further fine-tuned and the compatibility between the technologies of the different WPs was assessed. The final selection of the PLATIRUS technologies was confirmed in M30 as MS5 (Final selection of the PLATIRUS technology) through a techno-economic and environmental assessment performed in WP7 by ENV. Final selected technologies were used for PLATIRUS flowsheet with the objectives of the production of PGMs and PGM nitrates. However, other technologies in routes 1 and 2 (ionometallurgy and solvometallurgy) were also further optimized based on KPIs until MS4 at M24 and MS5 at M30 and validated at lab-scale. WP6 partners have collaboratively developed and optimised the selected technologies to operate in an integrated flowsheet, analysed safety and design considerations and developed a programme for trials of the PLATIRUS flowsheet. They have also successfully cascaded milled autocatalysts material between the selected technologies, gaining vital scale-up data and process understanding, and with the aim of producing enough PGM product to enable the manufacture of small-scale catalysts, DOC and TWA. The further industrial validation of the selected processes is in-progress.
A Value Chains Stakeholders Analysis was realized by PNO, and a group of organizations (mostly industrial) were selected as potentially interesting to benefit from the technologies developed by PLATIRUS. The project results were presented to them and synergies with current processes were analyzed for potential market uptake. The potential use of some PLATIRUS technologies into a variety of novel ideas for the valorization of critical metals that are currently non-valorized in different primary and secondary waste streams was considered and spin-off projects to bring the technologies at higher TRL level have been discussed with different set of partners. Furthermore, a market analysis was done, analyzing and comparing the current and prospective markets of selected end of Life (EoL) products which have the potential to become feedstocks for PGM recovery at industrial scale.
Several clustering teleconferences were organized with projects coordinators that are in the same call topic of PLATIRUS.