Recovery of Critical raw materials from industrial waste water- Circular Materials Italy
Summary:
Circular Materials’ patented technology allows to effective removal and recovery of heavy and precious metals from industrial wastewater.
Main description:
Circular Materials Srl is an innovative startup founded in Padua, northern Italy, in 2019. The company designs, builds, and installs industrial wastewater treatment plants. Its technology is based on the unique properties of supercritical water—a state achieved when water is heated above 374°C and subjected to a pressure of 221 bar. Under these conditions, water exhibits characteristics of both a liquid and a gas, transforming into a powerful solvent that acts as a ‘filter’ to separate dissolved metals from industrial processes.
This technology enables the recovery of metals typically dissolved in industrial processes, including nickel, cobalt, chromium, ruthenium, copper, as well as precious metals such as palladium, platinum, gold, iridium, and rhodium. It also facilitates the extraction of critical raw materials, promoting their reuse in a circular, sustainable, and economically beneficial way.”
The CM technology is designed to promote the precipitation of metal ions in solution, enabling the direct recovery of metals from industrial wastewater with an efficiency of 99%. The liquids to be treated are mixed with supercritical water in a patented mixer, where an instantaneous precipitation process occurs. Under these conditions, the dissolved metals behave as if they were in a non-polar liquid, forming nucleation sites that gradually cluster together until they become nanoparticles or microparticles.
The suspension is then cooled, with heat being recovered through exchangers, while the pressure is gradually returned to ambient levels. The liquids subsequently undergo a separation process, where the solid fraction is recovered for valorisation. The remaining water can then proceed to standard chemical-physical purification, now free from dissolved metals and complex organic compounds, significantly simplifying its treatment
CM was selected by the European Commission as one of 47 strategic projects aimed at strengthening the European supply chain for critical raw materials
Resources needed:
The only fluid used during operations is water, and the entire process is monitored by an automated control system capable of dynamically optimizing operating conditions based on the composition of the incoming wastewater.
Environmental benefits:
CM technology’s ability to efficiently separate metals from water and eliminate toxic sludge significantly reduces the volume of liquids that need to be stored, treated, and handled, thereby lowering all associated costs.
Economic benefits:
All costs related to storage of waste water and external recycling can be avoided. A large part of the cost of operations is related also to transportation costs that can be reduced.
