Recycling of electronic material at Boliden

Challenge the practice is addressing: This practice addresses the recycling of metals from electronic materials at Bolidens Rönnskär smelter in northern Sweden. Nowadays, the smelter recycles up to 120.000 tones of various waste materials.

Concrete practice to achieve the expected goal: The waste material arrives already dismantled at Rönnskär and will be send to a Kaldo furnace after being shredded and sampled. The smelting is carried out in the furnace by rotating a leaning cylinder that distributes heat evenly. Black copper, the smelted material, is then added to the main smelter flow for further refining to extract copper and precious metals.

Expected impact/goal of the practice: Rönnskär managed to reduce its air emissions and water discharge by 50 percent. Furthermore, the plastic which melts during smelting is being used as a source of energy and produces steam which is converted into electricity or district heating.

Who is the target user group of the practice/intervention or implementing the practice/intervention? This practice is relevant for companies in the recycling and material recovery industry