SBIR/STTR Award attributes
Idaho National Laboratory (INL), under funding from the Critical Materials Institute (CMI), has developed a US patented technology to reclaim valuable metals from waste electronic equipment. The Electrochemical Recycling Electronic Constituents of Value (E-RECOV) method uses an electrochemical cell to efficiently recover the bulk of metals from discarded electronics, leading to more complete recycling of materials while significantly reducing chemical use and waste generation. As part of the Technology Transfer Opportunity (TTO), Quantum Ventura has been awarded a Phase 2 grant to leverage the E-RECOV electrochemical process, an early-stage technology with a proven lab model and enable Quantum to demonstrate and scale up of the E-RECOV process to remove metals of value from electronic waste streams and reach the targeted outcome of TRL-5 at the end of Phase 2. Quantum and its partners have successfully built and tested a 7.5kg/day E-RECOV prototype model and obtained the State of Nevada’s Air Quality approval and Lyon County (Nevada) license to operate the E-RECOV plant while the California Environmental approval processes are in progress. The proposed Phase IIA research will build upon the Phase 2 experiments and continue running multiple scenarios using different grades of e-waste on the E-RECOV prototype and build additional module to extract Rare Earth Elements (REE). Major tasks envisioned in Phase 2A are: Task 1: Design & deliver a functional 7.5 kg/day per column rare-earths extraction unit as an add-on to the existing E-RECOV plant and build additional columns for E-RECOV and install digital sensors and resolve any upcoming technical challenges during transition. Task 2: Install & test REE extraction unit as well as E-RECOV plant enhancements and digital controls, develop & execute a production plan using E-waste of different grades, conduct various chemical analysis of e-waste feedstock, and extracted metals and analyze test results, and fix any production glitches Task 3: Expand a scaled-up Feedstock Supply & Logistics Report outlining the vital acquisition of high-quality, cost-efficient e-waste feedstock across multiple geographies and e-waste product streams. Expand the roadmap for building more strategic supplier partnerships with large electronics producers and wholesalers. Continued success of E-RECOV project is dependent on this critical activity. Task 4: Perform continuous production monitoring and quality control exercises to identify areas of improvement in production, quality control, batch management, analytics, and automation to achieve higher levels of excellence and move E-RECOV from 7.5 kg prototype to an industrial scale. Deliver a highly detailed Engineering & Plant Design Report to convert the E-RECOV to a highly- scalable and sustainable manufacturing technology. Task 5: Deliver a scaled-up and optimized Techno-Economic Analysis Report outlining a sound economic model based upon current market figures with multiple economic scenarios including Performance Metrics, Market Analysis & Volatility, and Regulatory Analysis. Perform economic assessment simulations based on feedstock, current commodity prices, OPEX/CAPEX.
