EnAM

Project description:

The increasing complexity of products and the high-tech components and composites used in them means that a large number of elements with different chemical and physical properties are now used. However, conventional methods of dismantling and reprocessing of these components, some of which are microscopically small, are no longer sufficient to ensure recovery. This applies especially to the economically strategic raw materials used in small quantities, whose supply situation is critical.

In the joint project, a combination of mechanical, pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical treatment and concentration processes will be investigated to enable efficient recovery. Methods for this must be developed and the chemical and physical behaviour of the elements in the process must be understood.

In order to enable an efficient process, the material composites that cannot be further separated in advance are to be divided into the three material flows molten metal, molten slag and waste gas/dust phase by means of controlled pyrometallurgical processing. The slag melt contains the majority of the metals sought, which are to be recovered efficiently by specifically influencing slag formation, downstream treatment and pre-concentration in mechanical processes and final concentration in hydrometallurgical processes.

In interdisciplinary working groups the possibilities of a targeted slag formation, respectively crystallization are investigated in order to obtain the best possible starting conditions for the following processes. Digestion, sorting (e.g. by flotation), as well as addition mechanisms and separation behaviour are investigated, selective auxiliary materials and further green hybrid separation processes are developed, intensively accompanied by the development of IT-based support systems.

Participating institutes of TU Clausthal:

  • IFAD (Prof. Goldmann) (Project management)
  • IMVT (Prof. A. Weber)
  • IAAC (Prof. Fittschen)
  • IOC (Prof. Kaufmann)
  • ITVP (Prof. Strube)
  • ISSE (Prof. Rausch)

Sponsored by:

TU Clausthal