CEReS

Many coal mines produce waste which causes acid mine drainage (AMD) potentially resulting in severe environmental damage. This drainage can be treated, but most wastes will continue to produce such drainage for hundreds of years. At the same time, the pace of technological development means most electrical and electronic equipment becomes obsolete within a matter of years, resulting in the generation of vast quantities of electronic waste (e-waste). Where this cannot be recycled, it must be discarded.

 

The CEReS project sought to develop a co-processing approach to treat these waste streams to produce metals and other valuable products, while eliminating their environmental impact. This brings together two waste streams from opposite ends of the supply chain; turning each into a novel resource in a single, coherent ‘grave-to-cradle’ process. This industrial ecology approach is key to supporting a circular economy while securing the sustainable supply of critical raw materials. The project successfully elaborated a novel co-processing flow-sheet comprising: (i) the accelerated weathering of AMD-generating coal production wastes to generate a biolixiviant; (ii) the pyrolysis and catalytic cracking of low-grade PCBs to produce hydrocarbon fuel, a halogen brine a Cu-rich char; (iii) the leaching of base metals from the char using the biolixiviant; (iv) the reuse of the stabilised coal wastes; and (v) the recovery of valuable metal while concentrating precious and critical metals into enriched substrates. The proposed CEReS process is an example of industrial ecology. It brings together two waste streams from opposite ends of the supply chain, turning each into a novel resource in a single, coherent ‘grave-to-cradle’ process.