１

Tatsuya OKI

Principal Research manager

Representative

Chairman

The imported metal materials

exist anywhere in the land in the

form of products or waste products

Urban Mine in Japan

Fe, Al, Cu, Precious metals Miner metals

= Rare metals

2

There are few natural metal mines in Japan

Economical recovery by hydrometallurgical method is difficult.

Rare metals in the waste products exist within

low concentration.

Solid separation for smelting

Technical problem of RMR (Rare-Metal recycling)

Rare metals can’t be recovered

in conventional recycling plants

National project of RMR in the 7 model cities (2008～)

秋田県

茨城県

福岡県東京都東京都

名古屋市名古屋市京都市京都市

熊本県(水俣市)熊本県

(水俣市)

先行実施地域

新規指定地域

Akita pref.

Ibaraki pref.

Tokyo met.

Nagoya city Kyoto city Fukuoka pref.

Minamata city (Kumamoto pref.)

from 2008

from 2009

Producer Consumer

Smelter

Recycler

Rare-Metals resources

circulation

Rare metals cannot be sold to a smelter

because of their low concentrations.

Government regarded the only problem of the RMR

as collecting waste SDA from a citizen Waste SDA were collected from

households located

It’s necessary to recover each rare metal by

advanced physical separations 3

It is important to physically recover rare metals before theametal mixture is sent to a copper smelter.

Products Waste

products Physical

separation Smelting

Technical challenge for RMR in Japan

Recycling plant (intermediate treatment)

Slag including Rare metals

↓ Sub-base for road

Cu,Au,Ag,PGM

Sale

Cu smelter

Rare metal smelter

Sale

Deg

ree o

f m

eta

l in

teg

rati

on

Rare metals

High

Advanced separation

Separated rare metal parts

Conventional separation (resin,Fe,Al)

Metal mixture (Cu,Au,Ag,PGM,RM)

Collection

Low

households

4

Japan started RMR from SDA in 2013

SDA Recycling Law started from April 2013

But…, RMR is difficult in conventional recycling plants

① We must treat various kinds(types, makers, model year…)of SDA.

② The cycle of the new products are short, and the suitable processing does not catch up with it.

③ Many kinds of rare metals are used in SDA, but each concentration is not so high.

④ Rare metals in SDA are used in complicated forms. -It can not be found immediately where rare metals are used-.

5

Technical challenge for RMR in Japan

Co

W

Ta

Nd, Dy

NEDO

Projects

JOGMEC

Projects

Recycling technologies for 5 rare metals

are being developed by national projects

recovered from

super-hard tools

recovered from

Nd-Fe-B magnets

recovered from

tantalum capacitors

recovered from

lithium ion batteries

6

Automation double tubes

pneumatic separator Magnetic-shape separator

Total separation system

By this system, 3000 pieces of PCB can be treated by one hour. Tantalum capacitors recovered in this plant are sold to Mitsui metal mining.

Re-tem Co., Ltd. introduced this system using a NEDO fund .

This separation system was commercialized in 2013.

First production separators and total system set in the plant of Re-tem corporation

12

Material flow analysis

Logistics analysis

Waste product database

Development of hydrometallurgy

Product design

Established in November, 2013

Development of pyrometallurgy

38 AIST researchers

13

FORUM members

Representative companies in Japanese supply‐chain

18 companies

collaborative group planning big projects with companies.

●Private research companies

●Local governments ●Government agencies ●Industry groups

●Intellectuals

Membership:

93 companies and

public organizations

Recycler and recycling apparatus makers

34 companies

41 observer members

(Established in Nov. 2013)

(Established in Oct. 2014)

CLUB members

Steering committee Secretariat

AIST supports recycling technologies to recyclers and recycling device makers.

Cooperative members

Special members

Academic member

36 AIST researchers participate in SURE virtual research unit which extends over 6 research groups

14

Laboratory for Testing Separation Technology

分析・ ソフトウエアデモ室

会議室

粉体 前処理室

解体作業 スペース

The domestic first-rate separation technology laboratory with more than 60 separators and crushers from domestic and foreign including 20 original separators developed by AIST

currently being remodeled

meeting room

sample preparation room

15

These have been already commercialized.

Examples of AIST-original separators set in LATEST Layout of SURE LATEST