International Seminar on Electronic Waste

UMICORE BRASILRicardo Rodrigues

February 22nd , 2011

� Umicore Group

� Umicore Brazil

�The e-scrap recycling chain

� What to do in Brazil? South America?

� Conclusions

Material technology company with focus on clean technologies

Workforce: 14,000

> 70 industrial locations worldwide

Umicore structure

e.g. drosses from lead smelters,

slimes from copper industry,…

Umicore in Hoboken: processing 300,000 tpy, + 200 different types of raw materials

By-products from non-

ferrous industry

Spent Industrial Catalysts

Spent Automotive Catalysts

Electronic Scrap

By-products Recyclable products

Industrial catalysts from oil

refining & petrochemical

industry

e.g. printed circuit boards

end-of-life car catalysts

Others

Precious metal bearing raw

materials

e.g. fuel cells, photographic

residues

Electronic Scrap

- Printed circuit boards (PCBs)

- Cell phones( handsets )

- Connectors

� Umicore Group

� Umicore Brazil

�The e-scrap recycling chain

� What to do in Brazil? South America?

� Conclusions

� UPMR operates in BRAZIL with the following activities: �Sampling & Assaying operation for SAC, SIC and JEWELRY SCRAP;

�Handling & Warehousing for E-SCRAP.

� UPMR structure is serving the South-American market;

Umicore Brazil

� Umicore Group

� Umicore Brazil

� The e-scrap recycling chain

� What to do in Brazil? South America?

� Conclusions

recycled metals/ elements

collectionpre-

processingdis-

mantlingmaterialsrecovery

e-scrap

separated components & fractions� OEM’S

� SCRAP DEALERS

� E-WASTE management companies

� WASTE management companies

� Logistic companies;

� Cables;� Plastics� Aluminium� Fe� PCB’s� Batteries- etc.

Recycling chain

� Consumer� Corporative� Institutions

� OEM’S

� E-WASTE management companies

� WASTE management companies

� Recycling companies

Precious Metals + 12 types of differentmetals

Who is a recycler?• Every (serious) stakeholder in the chain is somehow a “recycler”.

• A waste management company or a pre-processor is not a recycler of (technology) metals in the stricter sense, they prepare materials for final recovery.

• Many waste management companies have their roots in bulk waste & mass metals (steel, copper, aluminium) and traditionally focus on mass throughput and cost.

• Many scrap dealers and (global) traders raise the impression to do recycling. Having “recycling pictures on the website or “recycling” in a company name is no sufficient proof for real recycling.

• Only the metallurgical processes of Umicore type finally recover (isolate & refine) the (technology) metals in a way that they can be fed back into the market. Their success depends on the quantity & quality of the feed from the upstream chain.

�The structures in the recycling chain need to adapt to today’s requirements of professional, ethical andtransparent business execution.

E-scrap: Umicore’s focus material

E-scrap is a complex mix of:

� Ag, Au, Pd… (precious metals)

� Cu, Al, Ni, Sn, Zn, Fe… (base metals)

� Hg, Be, Pb, Cd, As, Sb, Bi… (PIA metals)

� Br, F, Cl... (halogens)

� plastics (combustibles)

� e-scrap contains valuable metals & resources & as such represents a true surface mine, which must not be wasted

� sustainable processing in environmentally sound and robust operations

Via Umicore Battery Recycling, we also offer recycling solutions for Rechargeable batteries (NiMH, Li-ion, Li-polymer)

High Tech & Economies of Scale � Key for precious metals refining from complex materials

• Focus PM-containing secondary material, input > 300 000 t/a, global customer basis• Recovery of 7 PM & 11 other metals: Au, Ag, Pt, Pd, Rh, Ru, Ir, Cu, Pb, Ni, Sn, Bi, Se,

Recycled metal value 2007: 3 Bn US-$ Te, Sb, As, In, Ga.

• Investments since 1997: 400 M €; Invest. for comparable green field plant: >> 1 Bn €!• Complex processes, high recovery rates >> 95 % for PM, minimal waste

Umicore‘s integrated smelter/refinery at Hoboken/Antwerp

ISO 14001 & 9001, OHSAS 18001

CollectionPre-

processingDis-

mantlingMaterialsrecovery

backyard recycling ► “low tech”

foto: EMPA/CH

Au yield ≈ 25%

integrated metals smelting/refining ►“high tech”

UmicoreAu yield >> 95%

+ high PM yields+ special & base metals recovered

+ elimination of hazardous substances

+ high environmental standard

− High losses, few metals recovered only dramatic environment & health impacts

− Typical for most Asian & African countries

End-processors (“Recyclers”) – Two approaches

� Umicore Group

� Umicore Brazil

� The e-scrap recycling chain

� What to do in Brazil? South America?

� Conclusions

What to do in Brazil?Recommendations Umicore

� Create legislative framework that promotes/facilitates collection & recycling;�Define reliable supervision of recycling standards;

�Determine reasonable collection and recycling targets;

� Develop and implement communication program, end-user must be informed about what to do with e-waste;

� Assure organized collection first before thinking of next steps => If no collection => no recycling;�Mobilising relevant EoL products for proper collection instead of

stocking, landfill or incineration.

What to do in Brazil? Recommendations Umicore

�Maximize the use of manual dismantling and minimize mechanical pre-processing for complex products:

=> The more complex/interlinked the material, the less selective are mechanical separation processes and the higher are losses of precious metals by co-segregation

=> Do not underestimate the job creation potential of (WEEE)-recycling (especially in collection and pre-processing) => Recycling as a means to fightagainst poverty

�Preventing illegal exports by creating specific NCM for relevant EoL products & increasing transparency in flows;

�Create a system to control the e-waste exporting companies;

What to do in Brazil? Recommendations Umicore

�Transparency in the information is a key component for the evaluation of the program. - Quantity of collected devices? - Technical & environmental performance of pre-treatment?- Final destination of output fractions?- Quantity of metals/materials recycled?

� Transfer the informal sector to FORMAL instead of excluding them + make use of their strengths (collection, pre-processing, …);

What to do in Brazil? Is there a need for a precious metals smelter/refiner in Brazil?

� End-processing is crucial for final value generation & toxic control;

� Recycling trace elements from complex products needs “high-tech”, large scale processes which cannot be duplicated in any country (=> need for economies of scale);

� End-processing technology/capacity available in Europe(Umicore):� Is sufficient to serve the Brazilian e-scrap market;

�Can return more metals / more money than local refining solutions can;

�Guarantees best environmental performance.

� Umicore Group

� Umicore Brazil

� The e-scrap recycling chain

� What to do in Brazil? South America?

� Conclusions

Conclusions

� Consider recycling chain as a complex, interlinked-chain:

� without collection, no recycling

� without a serious recycling partner, high metal losses & environmental risk

� Use strengths of Brazilian recycling society:

� Transfer the informal sector to FORMAL

� use manual labour to do focused disassembly of PCs & other complex products

� limit mechanical pre-processing (“shredding”) of these to an absolute minimum

� NATIONAL POLICY OF SOLID RESIDUES, must be seen as an opportunity in respect to:

� job creation;

� reduce emissions;

� save energy and natural resources.

Conclusions

� For smelting/refining of complex (precious) metal bearing fractions, make use of best available technology , also if this technology is currently not located in Brazil;

�EXPORTING is also an important tool to create reven ues to the country;

Umicore is the reliable, globally-active long-term partner to process your precious metal bearing e-scraps

Ricardo.rodrigues@am.umicore.comwww.umicore.com.br

christian.hagelueken@eu.umicore.comthierry.vankerckhoven@umicore.comwww.preciousmetals.umicore.com