PYROTECNIC

The PyroTeCnIC project aims to make the most of Wallonia’s expertise in pyrometallurgy, in the interests of the circular economy and competitiveness: by locally producing alternative sources of alloying elements (Cr, Ni, Mo, V, W, Nb, Co, etc.) from industrial residues, by adding plasma furnace technology to hydrometallurgy to improve the recovery of critical metals, and lastly by adapting the production of metal powders by atomisation to the needs of recycling. Residue briquettes rich in alloying elements will be developed under contract for use as secondary materials by Aperam (stainless steel production), MK (rolling mill rolls) and even Höganäs (metal powder production). With the support of the CRM, several partners will be studying the synergistic combination of different pre-treatment stages, making it possible to diversify and massify supplies: Fiven will develop magnetic crushing-sifting-separation, e.g. to free metals embedded in used slag or refractories, ULiège-GeMMe’s PickIt robotised sorting system will separate recoverable sub-flows, and finally Revatech will develop briquetting of materials from Fiven and others such as battery shreds, dust, shot blasting and machining residues. As part of the ongoing Plasmetrec project, the CRM and Hydrométal are developing a unique combination of pyrometallurgy (plasma furnace) and hydrometallurgy to treat a wider range of industrial residues, including those containing low concentrations of non-ferrous metals. The exponential need for critical metals in the energy and digital transition is now providing Hydrométal with an additional opportunity to diversify its business. The flexibility of the plasma furnace will enable it to develop processes tailored to complex niche flows (e.g. small unsorted batteries). The pre-design of an industrial unit will be carried out by Peps Engineering. Höganäs will study the integration of vacuum from the melting stage, in combination with high-pressure atomisation, so as to be able to accept secondary materials from Revatech or Hydrométal, for example, or recycle its own powder residues, after prior agglomeration. Digitalisation will make it possible to guarantee high performance despite the greater intrinsic variability of recycled materials and the complexity of the processes involved: Equans will work with the CRM to develop a Digital Twin for the plasma furnace at Hydrométal, and the CRM will design specific on-line instrumentation for quality control of briquettes at Revatech. All developments will be scaled up to TRL8 (demonstrators). Preliminary business plans have been drawn up by the industrial partners for the underlying recycling processes; cumulative investment is estimated at €52m (2021 figures). The CRM is also planning to set up a spin-off to market online briquetting instrumentation. The implementation of this industrial plan should generate a total of 57 direct FTEs and 114 indirect FTEs, not counting the jobs that could be maintained as a result of gains in competitiveness.