It is clear that as the demand for raw materials increases, greater efforts will have to be made on recycling. Higher recycling rates will:
- reduce the pressure on demand for primary raw materials
- help to reuse valuable materials which would otherwise be wasted
- reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and other negative environmental impact from extraction and processing
Recycling of metals in order to successfully recover raw materials from urban mines, a systematic recycling approach with effective recycling schemes is necessary. This also includes knowledge of the complexity of interactions between different materials in the waste streams.
Sintef Industry's areas of expertise within raw materials recycling cover the following metal groups:
- Rare metals (RE, In, Ta, Li)
- Light metals (Al, Mg, Ti)
- Precious metals (PGM, Ag, Au)
- Base metals (Cu, Zn, Pb)