New Pilot Plant in Thetford

Traduction libre

Here’s the translation of the article from Courrier Frontenac by Claudia Fortier, published on February 1, 2023:

“A Solution to the Electronic Waste Crisis

The company ‘enim’ will establish a pilot plant in Thetford Mines over the next year, with the aim of recovering and repurposing metals from electronic waste, all with a low environmental footprint. This plant will be located within the facilities of Dundee Sustainable Technologies on Lac-Noir Street in the Black Lake area.

The patented process, which has been developed and demonstrated in the laboratory, can collect up to 99% of the strategic minerals found in obsolete electronic equipment without emitting toxic fumes or waste. It recovers and isolates various metals such as palladium, gold, silver, copper, platinum, aluminum, zinc, tin, or lead to reintroduce them into the market. The material to be repurposed comes from the ‘Serpuariens’ program managed by the Association for Electronic Product Recycling.

UN projections indicate that nearly 75 million tons of electronic waste will be generated annually by 2030, equivalent to about 550 cruise ships, explained Simon Racicot-Daignault, President and CEO of ‘enim.’ Currently, the methods used for disposal or partial recycling are harmful to health, some being carcinogenic, and to the environment. Therefore, the company offers a unique and sustainable solution to the electronic waste crisis.

“Today, the only possible way to recover these metals is to send them to a foundry, essentially to burn them. What we have developed is a hydrometallurgical treatment, using liquids, to recover metals in a completely environmentally responsible way, without toxic gas emissions or liquid waste discharged into the environment,” Mr. Racicot-Daignault said.

He, who also led InnovHQ, a subsidiary of Hydro-Québec overseeing the creation of sustainable energy innovations, is joined by two other shareholders in this venture, Dominique Morin, CEO of Seneca, and Jean-Philippe Mai, CEO of Dundee Sustainable Technologies.

Read Claudia Fortier’s full article on the Courrier Frontenac website: https://www.courrierfrontenac.qc.ca/actualite/nouvelle-usine-pilote-a-thetford-une-solution-a-la-crise-des-dechets-electroniques/