Impianto - Circular Materials

Caratteristiche tecniche dell'impianto

A Unique Circular Approach for the Valorisation of Critical Raw Materials

Com'è fatto l'Impianto?

La tecnologia Circular Materials è basata sulle proprietà supercritiche dell’acqua, che viene gestita attraverso un impianto brevettato con lo scopo di agevolare la precipitazione degli ioni metallici in soluzione.

Circular Materials permette il recupero diretto dei metalli presenti nei reflui industriali con un’efficienza del 99%

Come Funziona?

I liquidi da trattare sono miscelati con acqua supercritica (T>374 °C e P>221 bar) in un mixer brevettato dove avviene un processo di precipitazione istantaneo: i metalli disciolti si comportano come se fossero in un liquido apolare, e formano dei siti di nucleazione che si accrescono in cluster fino a diventare nanoparticelle o microparticelle.

In altre parole...

La riduzione estrema della costante dielettrica dell’acqua in condizioni supercritiche (ε_RT=77 → ε_SC=2) riduce drasticamente la solubilità degli ioni metallici, causando la loro precipitazione in polveri finemente disperse.

La speciazione del prodotto (ossido, idrossido o metallo), è governata dalle condizioni redox e di pH, che sono parametri di processo facilmente controllabili tramite l’utilizzo di «ricette» sviluppate dai tecnici di Circular Materials in base alle esigenze del cliente.

Questa sospensione viene infine raffreddata, il calore è recuperato attraverso scambiatori e la pressione è riportata a quella ambiente.

I liquidi entrano quindi un processo di separazione, dove il solido viene recuperato per la valorizzazione.

L’acqua può essere quindi instradata verso il normale processo di depurazione chimico-fisico, ma senza presentare metalli disciolti o forme organiche complesse, semplificandone drasticamente il trattamento.

Tecnologia di precipitazione dell'acqua supercritica di Circular Materials per il recupero dei metallic

Circular Materials ha sviluppato una tecnologia brevettata, basata sulle proprietà dell’acqua supercritica, progettata per rimuovere e recuperare efficacemente i metalli dall’acqua. Questo processo innovativo consente anche l’ossidazione della maggior parte della materia organica (COD) e dei cianuri (>99,5%) per restituire un liquido de-metallizzato facile da trattare e che può essere indirizzato a impianti fisico-chimici esistenti senza produzione di fanghi o a un costo molto inferiore rispetto al costo di smaltimento dell’effluente originale non trattato.

L’impianto di Circular Materials è progettato per facilitare la precipitazione degli ioni metallici in soluzione, consentendo il recupero diretto dei metalli nelle acque reflue industriali con un’efficienza del 99%. I liquidi da trattare vengono miscelati con acqua supercritica (T>374 °C e P>221 bar) in un mixer brevettato dove avviene un processo di precipitazione istantanea. I metalli disciolti si comportano come se fossero in un liquido apolare e formano siti di nucleazione che crescono in cluster fino a diventare nanoparticelle o microparticelle.

L’estrema riduzione della costante dielettrica dell’acqua in condizioni supercritiche (εRT=77 → εSC=2) riduce drasticamente la solubilità degli ioni metallici, facendoli precipitare in polveri finemente disperse. La speciazione del prodotto (ossido, idrossido o metallo) è regolata dalle condizioni redox e di pH, parametri di processo facilmente controllabili attraverso l’uso di “ricette” sviluppate dagli ingegneri di Circular Materials in base alle esigenze del cliente.

La sospensione viene infine raffreddata e il calore viene recuperato attraverso scambiatori, mentre la pressione viene riportata a quella ambientale. I liquidi entrano quindi in un processo di separazione, dove il solido viene recuperato per essere valorizzato. L’acqua può quindi essere avviata al normale processo di depurazione chimico-fisica, ma senza metalli disciolti o forme organiche complesse, semplificandone drasticamente il trattamento.

A partner for the valorization of the secondary raw materials

Choosing Circular Materials as your partner for recovery and valorization of secondary raw material

Sustainable Solutions

We believe that sustainability not only benefits the planet, but is the only economical way to do business. All of our solutions are designed to help our partners and customers economically achieve sustainability goals.

Cutting-edge Technologies

Our proprietary processes and facilities are based on years of research and development and are constantly evolving to meet the needs of our partners and customers. We set the pace of development in various industries, investing substantial resources in the continuous improvement of our technologies to be at the forefront of major industry trends.

Tailor-made Solutions

Each partner is unique, with its own opportunities and paths to value. That is why we work closely together to meet specific needs and develop customized solutions to generate maximum value from each opportunity.

Continuous Support

Our solutions are not just about machines and processes; there are people behind the technology. Our continuous improvement approach is present in every interaction with partners and customers, and we work through every step of the qualification process to ensure the best possible outcome.

Partnership

Our, is a long-term commitment to build relationships based on trust, transparency, and mutual success

Traditional methods

Complex waste management

The increased complexity in the composition of the effluent from galvanic processes requires effort in the management of the liquid, which must be properly pretreated before being sent for metal precipitation and clarification by flocculation. Similarly, after conventional treatment in the chemical-physical plant, the waters often require additional procedures to come within legal parameters, such as carbon filtration to reduce COD or the use of ion exchange resins to further reduce heavy metals.

Critical Raw Materials as pollutants

In traditional treatments, the management of critical pollutants such as heavy metals, cyanides, and amines requires articulated treatments (typically redox reactions

pH, time and concentrations dependent) and that may generate additional problems downstream of treatment plants, such as the elevation of chlorides in emissions and the risk of heavy metals passing into the final sludge.

Wasting Raw Materials

Metals precipitated and reduced to sludge by conventional physical chemical treatment are the same metals that are the main raw materials for the electroplating industry, and when separated by conventional systems, they become a costly and environmentally high-impact waste that must be disposed of in landfills as special waste.

High Environmental Impact

Treatment processes and surface finishing industry generate a large amount of effluents that contain heavy and valuable metals. This generates significant environmental pressure: all current technological solutions capable of treating liquids containing heavy metals produce toxic sludge as a process result that must be stored in landfills equipped to receive special waste.

Chemical-Physical Precipitation

One of the most popular technologies for industrial water treatment is chemical-physical precipitation, which does not allow metals to be recycled and reused. Chemical-physical precipitation is based on insolubilization and flocculation reactions that separate metals from water, generating sludge that is then collected through filtration and drying operations. Metals thus inerted into sludge are eventually stored in landfills as special waste.

Circular Materials

A Unique Solution

Circular Materials has designed, patented, and built a new process for treating industrial wastewater based on the properties of supercritical water, which with extreme efficiency can recover 99 percent of dissolved metals.

Recovery and valorization of raw materials

Precious metals and oxides can be recovered on site, which can be directly transformed into salts for regeneration of the electroplating bath. A perfect example of circular economy.

A Modular and Scalable Process

Our technology works with any dissolved metal in all wastewater, even the most corrosive and complex. Plant capacity can be easily adapted with modular treatment units and concentration units. Operations are flexible, scalable and continuous.

High Efficiency

More than 99% of dissolved metals are recovered as powder and separated from water, which is effectively de-metallized. Wastewater can be treated with modular units of 50 and 100L/h, with the possibility of integration with concentration units. Each plant has the right size to meet process requirements.

Sustainable Processing

We help reduce greenhouse gas emissions through LCA analysis and certification, which can be shared with customers and partners to help achieve ESG goals. We ensure the highest environmental performance in the industry.

Versatility

Our technology has been tested on more than 250 different wastewaters, with performance exceeding 99% on average. Our task is to provide an adaptive system that can work with fluids that have been qualified for the process.

Continuous improvement

Circular Materials engineers run a continuous improvement program to ensure that the software is up to date and that all technological and process improvements are transferred to the installed units

Several partners have already chosen our technology.

As a company, we at Circular Materials are committed to making a fundamental contribution to the European Green Deal, and we have as our goals: