Introduction

The global surge in e-waste presents a serious environmental and economic challenge, with tonnes of precious metals lost each year due to inadequate waste management practices. Fortunately, innovative chemical processes have emerged that enable the recovery of these valuable materials through a multi-stage procedure. Initially confined to small-scale, laboratory settings, the process required a transformative solution to make it viable for industrial use. Scaling up and automating this technique was essential to enable the large-scale extraction of precious metals from the mounting volumes of electronic waste accumulating across the globe.

Challenges
Although products existed for small-scale use of this process, they were limited to manual operation and failed to meet established health and safety regulations. Addressing the global challenges of e-waste management required a swift and scalable solution - one that could stabilise the business financially while maximising the potential of the available resources. However, the complex and pioneering nature of the process posed significant obstacles, making it difficult to find partners within the global marketplace willing to undertake such an ambitious initiative.

Approach

To ensure the success of this initiative, a knowledgeable design partner with expertise in industrial process equipment was carefully selected. The project drew on comprehensive design strategies including Hazard Studies, Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA), Risk Assessments, and detailed Engineering Compliance Reviews to establish a safe and effective foundation. Through strong, client-focused leadership, exceptional project and program management practices were showcased—anchored by proactive communication and stakeholder engagement. Extensive prototyping trials were conducted to validate and refine the approach, while robust project management methodologies ensured consistent compliance with quality benchmarks, budgetary constraints, and delivery timelines.

Results and Conclusions

With four decades of expertise in industrial process equipment, we collaborated closely with existing suppliers to accelerate the design of automation-friendly systems that retained operator familiarity. Guided by a strong commitment to project and operational excellence - reinforced by rigorous compliance management and design optimisation - the plant was delivered in alignment with business case expectations, clearly demonstrating our ability to overcome complex process challenges. By combining the deep insight of the process inventor with the capabilities of a trusted process automation partner, we efficiently surveyed the market and identified the most appropriate equipment for this demanding application. Equipped with robust design tools, the plant gained approval from regulatory authorities, validating its readiness for upper-tier COMAH operations. Defying initial expectations, it has since become fully operational and is now reliably extracting valuable metals from e-waste with consistent results.