To avoid the common problems of traditional treatment processes, we have opted for a vacuum system capable of finely shredding each component of the WEEE and, at the same time, capturing any gaseous emissions and recovering any liquid part.
Some metals will be isolated after the shredding phases as well as the collected and insulated plastic components can be transferred to another plant that deals with treating this type of material or placed in an apparatus suitable for energy recovery.
In addition, the glass will be removed beforehand by means of vibrating sieves and insulated to be recycled.
The matrices remainder, on average a variable mass around 20/25% of what was initially entered, is inserted in a special plasma oven specifically designed for the recovery of precious metals and rare earths. The plasma arcs contain an extremely hot but rather small region positioned in front of the electrode tip, produced in Italy by one of our partners, and specifically designed for the processing and recovery of precious metals.
The entire system is fully integrated in BIOZIMMI and each module is capable of processing about thirty tons of incoming WEEE per day, or about six tons per day of parts containing precious metals and rare earths.
The inorganic fraction becomes completely inert and forms a vitrified material. Then, pouring from the reactor in molten form (lava), it cools down solidifying in a material that can be shaped and used for useful purposes without environmental risks such as:
- road or rail surface;
- floor tiles;
- common objects (souvenirs, statues, etc.).
The extremely fast thermal reaction and the treatment at extremely high temperatures allow the total destruction of toxic organic compounds and the overall vitrification and encapsulation of any compound. Atmospheric emissions do not occur due the application of our systems.
