Another Tetronics plasma refining plant successfully achieves full operational status. The system, supplied to solar industries, will recover precious metal (PMs) and platinum group metals (PGMs) from spent catalyst and electronic waste streams.
Working together, Solar and Tetronics have demonstrated industry leading levels of technical recovery of PGM from spent industrial catalysts. The plasma plant has achieved full operational status following the successful completion of an extensive Final Acceptance Test.
Tetronics International, a global leader in plasma arc technology for metal recovery and hazardous waste treatment applications, is pleased to announce that its customer and partner, Solar Applied Materials Technology Corp., has confirmed full operational status of its plasma plant where the Tetronics technology, capable of recovering >98 per cent of (PGMs) from spent catalysts, will be used to process and recover PMs and PGMs from spent catalysts and electronic waste.
This brings Tetronics’ plasma technology global installed base to 86, for applications including resource recovery and hazardous waste treatment, thereby reinforcing Tetronics’ position as a global market leader of plasma arc technology.
The Solar plasma plant achieved full licensed operational status following the successful completion of the Final Acceptance Test (FAT). The plasma plant, based in Taiwan, will process up to 1,850 tonnes per year of spent catalysts, producing 120,000 troy oz of PGM based on typical automotive catalysts profiles. In context, this represents 6 per cent of the global supply of recovered Platinum based on ‘Johnson Matthey Platinum 2013 Interim Review’.
Dr Ma, Chief Operating Officer for Solar explains, “We are exceptionally pleased that our plasma plant delivered by Tetronics is now fully operational. Tetronics have maintained a high‐level of professionalism and support throughout the project to ensure we reached our targeted recovery rate.”
Graeme Rumbol, CEO for Tetronics International comments, “We are delighted to have reached this milestone with Solar and to see them experiencing the rewards of their investment. We look forward to expanding our partnership with Solar over the coming years and supporting them as they roll out their plans for rapid growth.”
Catalyst wastes, including both auto catalytic converters and industrial catalysts, contain PGMs that are valuable due to their low natural abundance, unique properties and the complex processes that are required for their extraction and refining from primary sources.
When recycled, these waste streams are typically three orders of magnitude richer in PGMs than their naturally occurring ore equivalents, enabling the conservation of finite natural resources and balancing supply and demand. Therefore, it is both financially beneficial and environmentally responsible to recover PMs and PGMs from spent catalysts and e‐waste as part of new circular economy business models.
The main advantages of Tetronics’ patented plasma technology are that it couples the highest technical recovery rates and operational flexibility, with the lowest environmental impacts and cost base. The process chemistry in the technology is designed to smelt and preferentially separate the PMs from less valuable material, which is vitrified into an inert, safe usable product called Plasmarok®, in a single processing step. The process will also destroy any hazardous organics contained within the material.
For more information about Tetronics International, please contact Kate Colclough on +44 (0)1793 238 500 or visit: www.tetronics.com
About Tetronics International
- Tetronics International ‐ the global leader in the supply of PGM Recovery Plants. Tetronics’ patented Direct Current (DC) Plasma Arc plant technology provides the closest solution to zero waste currently available.
- The technology delivers higher precious metal recovery rates than competing technologies with greater than 98% typically achieved.
- This sustainable “green” alternative for material recovery uses ultra‐high temperatures to melt, gasify or vaporise any waste material, in order to treat, recover or generate valuable commercial products.
- Tetronics’ technology has been tried and tested over five decades and has been used globally in more than 80 plants across a wide and varied range of applications.
About Solar Applied Materials Technology Corp
Founded as a precious material refiner and product processor, Solar Applied Materials Technology Corp., after countless transformation, becomes a professional precious metal and thin film target manufacturer. With the integration of advanced thin film material development and manufacture ability and vacuum induction melting, hot rolling, forging, powder metallurgy and bonding technology, Solar develops various key materials for application in emerging industries such as Optoelectronics, Media Storage, Semiconductor, Thin Film Solar Cell and Flat Panel Display.
For more information about Solar, please visit the website at: www.solartech.com.tw
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