New S$20 million lab to develop less toxic e-waste recycling methods

Aqil Haziq Mahmud Channel NewsAsia 13 Mar 19;

SINGAPORE: A S$20-million research centre which aims to develop greener ways of recycling electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) was launched on Wednesday (Mar 13) by the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA).

The centre focusing solely on e-waste recycling is believed to be a world-first.

Among its goals: To extract substantially more valuable metals from lithium-ion batteries and to recycle silicon from solar panels.

The centre, called the NTU Singapore-CEA Alliance for Research in Circular Economy, also wants to make the process of recycling printed circuit boards cheaper and more environmentally friendly, and to detoxify more plastic parts in e-waste, given that plastics form a major part of devices like printers and flat screens.

To recycle lithium-ion batteries more efficiently, the centre has developed a shredder which can crush the batteries in an oxygen-less environment, necessary to prevent them from burning up.

Current industrial methods involve incineration, which is costly and energy-intensive, producing toxic fumes that might pollute the environment.

With the new method, researchers can extract valuable metals from the crushed material by dissolving it in a chemical solution and then letting it precipitate in a process called hydrometallurgy.

The centre aims to extract up to 75 per cent by weight of valuable materials like lithium, cobalt and manganese - 15 times more than the current 5 per cent. These can be used to produce new lithium-ion batteries, commonly found in laptops, smartphones and electric vehicles.

Hydrometallurgy can also be used to detoxify plastic parts in e-waste. Currently, only a small amount of this plastic is recycled as it is difficult to separate and remove. It also contains flame retardants that are toxic to human health and the environment.

After detoxifying the plastic, the plastic is put through an advanced process which involves heating it using microwaves and breaking it down into fuel.

In addition, the centre is exploring how this high-grade plastic can be used for "novel applications", like filaments for 3D printing and as a base to grow stem cells.

It is also looking into new ways of recycling printed circuit boards to replace current industrial methods, which emit harmful pollutants that have to go through costly treatment processes before they can be safely released into the environment.

Instead, researchers first use X-ray sorting to separate components into different groups based on their metal content. This allows them to choose the best chemical method of recycling, reducing costs by about 20 to 30 per cent.

One new method involves the use of a carbon dioxide-based fluid to "trap" the metals; the carbon dioxide is then re-converted into recyclable gas, leaving behind only the metals.

For silicon-based solar panels, the centre aims to extract the silicon from the panel. This silicon, which requires a lot of energy to make, can be used to produce new panels and reduce the costs involved.

Currently, industries only recycle the metal frame, glass surface and silver components in a solar panel as it is difficult to separate the thin silicon, which is glued tightly to the rest of the layers.

To overcome this, researchers use a technique called delamination, which involves dislodging the glue using benign means - as opposed to heating - that will not destroy the silicon. These include the use of environmentally friendly solvents, and bacteria or microorganisms to "eat" the glue.

ARE THESE TECHNOLOGIES SCALABLE?

The two organisations and the National Environment Agency (NEA) will pour S$20 million into the collaboration, which comes after the Government identified e-waste as a major stream of trash under its zero waste masterplan.

The Government will also implement a mandatory e-waste management system by 2021.

Singapore generates about 60,000 tonnes of e-waste a year, equivalent to the weight of 220 Airbus A380 airplanes.

"This is a significant and timely development," Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor said at the launch of the centre. "We are investing in research and development (R&D) in close partnership with industry and research institutions to overcome technological barriers."

Co-director of the centre, Professor Madhavi Srinivasan, said the aim is for a majority of these technologies to be scalable within the next three years. This means ensuring it can work with 10kg to 100kg of e-waste, before partnering with the industry for larger-scale testing.

On Wednesday, the centre also signed a letter of intent with four companies - battery producer Durapower, chemicals company Arkema, electric car sharing firm BlueSG and e-waste recycler Virogreen - to kickstart research with industry.

NEA's director of environment technology Patrick Pang said he was impressed by the progress made by the centre, which was first announced last August.

"(The Government's) interest in this is to make sure the R&D results in options (that are) proven to be cost-effective and of course environmentally safe," he said.

Mr Pang added that the Government can adjust its infrastructure plans, which can include setting up purpose-built plants to treat e-waste.

"The actual data of e-waste collected and recycled will allow us to size the appropriate facilities," he said.

However, Mr Pang added that it was too early to commit to a timeline, or tell how many of such facilities there will be.

"As R&D powers our enterprises and creates new opportunities for (the centre and the companies), it will also create highly skilled jobs for our citizens," Dr Khor said.

Source: CNA/hz

New lab to study greener ways to recover precious metals from e-waste
SHERLYN SEAH Today Online 13 Mar 19;

SINGAPORE — In high-tech Singapore, some 60,000 tonnes of electronic waste, or e-waste, is generated each year.

It represents a major challenge for the authorities here. E-waste contains heavy metals that are valuable and could be recovered for other uses, but doing so is costly and takes up a lot of energy.

At the same time, these metals can be hazardous and must be properly managed during disposal.

A new research lab launched by Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) plans to come up with innovative and energy-efficient ways to tackle both problems.


The NTU Singapore-CEA Alliance for Research in Circular Economy (NTU Scarce) will focus on four common types of e-waste:

Lithium-ion batteries

Silicon-based solar panels

Printed circuit boards

Plastic parts in e-waste

RESEARCH FOCUS

NTU Scarce will focus on recycling e-waste, maximising the recovery of precious materials and reducing the environmental impact of e-waste.

For example, the joint lab will look into developing eco-friendly methods to recycle lithium ion batteries and extract up to 75 per cent of metals such as cobalt, nickel, lithium and manganese. These materials may be reused to produce new lithium ion batteries.

One of the solutions involves using “green chemistry”, a method that focuses on using chemical processes and earth-friendly products that minimise the use and generation of hazardous substances.

Printed circuit boards are another major type of e-waste. These are thin copper-plated or etched circuitry boards on which integrated chips and other electronic components are mounted.

These boards usually consist of metals such as copper, aluminium, gold and silver, as well as valuable organics and ceramics which are often lost during incineration.

Current industrial recycling processes emit harmful pollutants and liquid waste. Professor Madhavi Srinivasan, the co-director of NTU Scarce, said that in order for them to be safely released into the environment, they have to go through costly treatment processes.

The researchers at the lab will develop novel methods to separate and recover as much organics and ceramics for a variety of applications, she added.

They will also look at formulating advance e-waste separation and extraction techniques that are more eco-friendly and energy-efficient than present methods.

NTU Scarce's co-director, Dr Jean-Christophe P Gabriel, said: “Closing the materials loop is a key challenge to enabling a sustainable environment. Electronic waste recycling concentrates many of the issues that must be solved and is the perfect testbed towards that aim.”

Using the same principles of recovering precious materials and reducing environmental harm, the lab will also find other sustainable solutions to process solar panel e-waste and toxic plastic materials.

Researchers will explore ways to extract silicon and metals from solar panels, which could help reduce the costs to produce new panels.

They will also develop a systematic approach to safely sort, detoxify and recycle hazardous plastic materials from e-wastes.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) is supporting this NTU-CEA joint research centre. Together, the three organisations are contributing S$20 million into this collaboration.

Mr Patrick Pang, NEA’s chief technology officer, said that the agency's S$12.5m investment in the centre is part of NEA's Closing the Waste Loop research-and-development (R&D) initiative.

The initiative encourages collaborations among institutes of higher learning, research institutes and sector partners to develop solutions to tackle challenges of increasing waste generation, scarcity of resources and land constraints for waste management.

“Through the joint partnership, NEA is committed to supporting R&D initiatives that recover resources and extract value from e-waste. This resonates with the circular economy approach that align with the Zero Waste nation vision,” Mr Pang added.


New NTU centre looking into ways to manage e-waste better
Cheryl Teh Straits Times 14 Mar 19;

A new research centre has been set up to develop ways to better manage, recover and recycle electronic waste.

The NTU Singapore-CEA Alliance for Research in Circular Economy (NTU Scarce) will look to find methods to recover materials from common sources of electronic waste, such as lithium-ion batteries, electronic circuit boards and silicon-based solar panels.

Researchers there will also look for ways to remove toxins from plastic parts contained in e-waste, such as those in discarded mobile phones and laptops.

The centre is a collaboration between Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA).

One of the projects that the centre will run is a study led by NTU Professor Madhavi Srinivasan, who is also co-director of the centre.

She and her team have devised a way to extract precious metals from used lithium-ion batteries.

Recycling them is very important, she said, as only 5 to 6 per cent of spent lithium-ion batteries worldwide are recycled.

"By extracting valuable resources from used batteries, our method allows us to convert seemingly useless batteries that might be tossed or incinerated into new, usable batteries," Prof Srinivasan said, adding that the team will work on improving the machines and metal extraction processes.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) hopes the centre will find innovative ways to reduce the consumption of materials, and turn trash into treasure by recycling and repurposing electronic waste.

The centre, which will be located at NTU, will also support Singapore's drive to become a zero waste nation, as part of this year's Year Towards Zero Waste campaign.

In total, the initiative will cost $20 million, which will be funded by NTU, the CEA and the NEA.

The NEA has pledged to commit $12.5 million towards it.

The NTU Scarce centre was opened yesterday by Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor.

"In line with our thrust towards zero waste, NEA will be placing greater focus and resources into waste-to-resource R&D programmes in the years ahead," Dr Khor said at the ceremony.

She cited the latest NEA numbers, which showed that electronic waste is one of Singapore's fastest-growing waste streams - about 60,000 tonnes of electronic waste are generated annually.

"It is critical that we manage our e-waste properly so as to avoid contaminating our landfill and water catchments with toxic substances such as lead and mercury," Dr Khor added.

Also present at the event were Mr Marc Abensour, the French Ambassador to Singapore, and deputy chairman of France's CEA Laurence Piketty.

NTU president Subra Suresh said: "This joint research centre will grapple with one of the increasingly important issues in recycling, as the world continues to produce more electronic devices and electronic waste."