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Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

Environmentally sound Advanced Recycling Technologies for Hi Tech products: An innovative technology framework for the development of advanced recycling systems of criti

Objectives of the commitment

The project aims to develop and demonstrate cost-effective, resource and energy efficient and environmentally sound solutions for recycling and recovery of valuable raw materials considering both preprocessing and metallurgical refinery technologies. Core of the project is the development of flexible and modular combined metallurgy technologies adaptable to multiple EoL (End-of-Life) complex products, with particular focus on WEEE. The objectives are to:
-Maximize CRM and precious raw materials recycling from hi tech products to generate economic value and new jobs
-Increase environment and health protection
-Increase the return of investments and the success rate in the advanced, new generation recycling industry
-Exploit available data and experiences in recycling technologies for the recovery of secondary raw material from hi tech products
-Develop flexible down-scalable solutions

Description of the activities

The partnership will address the objectives of the project in a multidisciplinary cooperation between research community and industry, including organizations such as the Knowledge Innovation Centre on Raw Materials and SMEs, through developing innovative technological solutions for recovery of materials from complex EoL hi tech products. The different actions will cover both the pre-processing phase including bill of materials and flows accounting and the technology phase for the recovery of materials.
Our conceptual model for the development of a cost-effective, resource and energy efficient and environmentally sound solutions for recycling and recovery of valuable raw materials from complex hi-tech products, covers the following tasks:
WP1 Technology and materials screening and product design
-Technology screening: analysis of current solutions and best practices. Mapping and assessment of current technological options (diffusion rates, constraints, economic sustainability, environmental impact) considering both preprocessing and metallurgical refinery technologies
-Product material inventory: for the analysis of key hi tech products’ composition (bill of materials), using available sources and pursuing active collaboration with producers
-Future scenarios on product material inventory: future outlooks of possible scenarios in the bill of materials of future hi tech products (by 2020)
-Liberation degree of materials (ie how complex is to separate different materials) in today’s and future’s hi tech products and feedback Eco design oriented for dismantling and recovery of precious metals, critical raw materials and, in general, of valuable materials in hi tech products
-Assessment of BAT for the determination of flexible down-sizable solutions to develop smart and efficient solutions applicable to small community; ie technologies must be smart even in terms of local environmental processing conditions and quantitative adaptability: more small well distributed plants instead than only a bigger one
WP2 Development of new technological solutions
-Design of innovative, modular and flexible combination of technological solutions for the recovery of metals from hi tech EoL WEEE including disassembling, pre-processing and comprehensive metallurgical recovery
-Realization and verification of a demonstration pilot plant to test process performance in terms of operational, technical and economics, including risk assessment and benefits to society and environment
-Exploitation of the pilot plant adapting it to other EoL complex products
-Realization of a real scale case study plant to implement a specific product/material centric recycling value chain
WP3 Technology evaluation and recommendations
-Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing analysis of the proposed technologies
-Business cases: for the implementation and deployment of new, optimal technologies
-Definition of optimal management system for material flow and industrial processes. Business and operational context evaluation: to define the overall business conditions required to assure a successful investment in the sector
-Technology framework definition: to develop a set of guidelines, recommendation and technical specifications for experts and entrepreneurs
WP4 Dissemination
-Dissemination of results, communication and support: to facilitate networking, investments and business development
WP5 management
-Coordination the correct implementation of the overall project, working packages and tasks, the achievement of the project objectives and the valorization of the project results

Description of the expected impacts

The project is expected to improve the knowledge and metrics of hi tech products recycling, enabling a quality and consistent growth of the European industry, built around advanced technologies and effective operating models to make the business cases work.
We expect that the new technological and management solutions developed by the project will improve the recycling of collected WEEE and the ratio between collection of WEEE and production of WEEE.
The multidisciplinary and cooperative approach will also improve the recycling of CRM and precious metals increasing their recycling rates. This true holistic approach that includes all the stakeholders will secure a better economic viability of recycling. We are confident the results of this project can be transferred beyond WEEE to vehicles and other complex EoL products. The value added of the project consists in the analysis and evaluation of the proposed technical solution and its replicability.
We believe this project will lead to the following benefits:
-Recyclers: Improved technical solution, exploitation of current investments, business performance improvements
-Downstream industries: Improved availability of critical raw materials and reduced price volatility
-Academia and research institutions: Development of a specialized technology framework for the optimization of hi tech products recycling
-Member states: improvement of the competiveness of the EU industries, including SME, Development of an economic framework consistent with the zero waste (circular economy; industrial symbiosis) paradigm; resources valorization within the territory
-Societal benefits: Creation of new professional figures and job opportunities
Projects outcomes can be exploited in other SIP action areas: I.1,I.4, II.4, II.5, II.7, II.8, II.10

Coordinating organisation & role

Name of the coordinating organisation: ENEA – Italian National Agency for new technologies, Energy and Sustainable economic developmentCountry: ItalyEntity profile: OtherRole within the commitment:

ENEA will participate in all WP activities and coordinate the overall project activities, ensuring their compliance with the commitment. ENEA will ensure links to other SIP actions as specified in activities description, also through its participation in HLSG, Sherpa Group and OG1, OG2, OG3, OG4 of Raw Materials EIP. It will also guarantee the link to ERA-MIN through its participation as associate member and in the expert groups.

Other partners

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V.

Name of the organisation: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V. Country: Germany Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: Fraunhofer will lead the CFRP and GFRP recycling research.
Fraunhofer will perform corrosion tests on the developed materials.
Fraunhofer will work with CIDAUT on the implementation, validation and refinement of LCCA tools for the project. Fraunhofer is the Quality Manager of the Consortium and will oversee deliverables and general reporting are produced with the best possible quality following agreed review standards.

Fundacion Cidaut

Name of the organisation: Fundacion Cidaut Country: Spain Entity profile:
Role within the commitment: CIDAUT will lead the research activities on materials recycling and compounding, implementing lab scale demonstrators of each process at its premises and, later, supporting end-users upscale the processes.
CIDAUT will perform mechanical tests, microstructural analyses, injection moulding capability studies on the developed materails, and will work with Fraunhofer on the implementation, validation and refinement of LCCA tools for the project.

RWTH Aachen University (Institute of plastic processing (IKV)

Name of the organisation: RWTH Aachen University (Institute of plastic processing (IKV) Country: Germany Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: RWTH will implement the novel 3D Generative Preforming process (3D Fibre Spraying) that enables to create high-value long fibre-reinforced 3D preforms for thermoplastic and thermoset composites at low process costs (different kinds of yarn as a raw material, low tooling costs due to low cavity pressures). This cost effective technology allows to align the sprayed fibres in order to produce high-performance, engineered anisotropic products.

Universita' di Cagliari

Name of the organisation: Universita' di Cagliari Country: Italy Entity profile:
Role within the commitment: University of Cagliari is one of the leading European organization in the resin design and coupling with thermoplastic and thermose materials. University of Cagliari will support in the definition of the composite materials, both from CFRP/GFRP, ABS and Rare Earth composite material.

Relight

Name of the organisation: Relight Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - SME
Role within the commitment: RELIGHT will work with ITRB to provide the research partners with residues for the recycled ABS supply and the REE recovery processes, including their HydroWEEE process as part of the processes to be studied and analyzed.

Piaggio Aerospace

Name of the organisation: Piaggio Aerospace Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - large company
Role within the commitment: Piaggio Aerospace is one of the project End Users (Aeronautics Industry): as such it will provide requirements and further applications that could be developed with the Consortium Materials. Piaggio will assist in the compounds selection, provide Fraunhofer with specific corrosion requirements on business jet size aircraft, and will assess that the developed materials performance fits the selected applications desired improvements.

Blackshape Aircrafts

Name of the organisation: Blackshape Aircrafts Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - SME
Role within the commitment: Blackshape Aircrafts is one of the project End Users (Aeronautics Industry): as such it will provide requirements and further applications that could be developed with the Consortium Materials. Blackshape will support to fulfill the requirements of the aeronautics industry on ultra light jet, light jet and trainer for Syllabus, and will assess that the developed alloys performance fits the selected applications desired improvements.

KU Leuven

Name of the organisation: KU Leuven Country: Belgium Entity profile: Academia
Role within the commitment: KUL will collaborate on the balance problem studies and will lead the rare earth recovery research with the solvometallurgical and ionometallurgical processes.
KUL will also contribute to the final compounding selection.
KUL is the Dissemination Manager of the project, promoting that all partners are active on the project Dissemination.

FIDAMC

Name of the organisation: FIDAMC Country: Spain Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: FIDAMC is going to lead the Work Package on Compression Moulding with CFRP-enhanced materials. As part of the AIRBUS Group, FIDAMC will also be able to provide the input material.
FIDAMC successfully developed a 3D Printer of own design to serve the Aerospace Industry and will be supporting Smart Lab 3D Industries in its 3D printer design.

COMPOSITE INNOVATION CENTER

Name of the organisation: COMPOSITE INNOVATION CENTER Country: Canada Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: Composite Innovation Center is one of the world leading organization in the field of Composite materials, both from carbon fiber and vegetal-based fibers.
Composite Innovation center has successfully implemented, at lab-scale, recycling processes for CFRP and GFRP.

Existing EU Contribution: Yes

Period to implement the commitment: from 01-01-2015 to 31-12-2017