Spent two productive days last week at the Università degli Studi dell’Aquila with our Norwegian partners as part of the RE-KAR-PCB project, funded by the Research Council of Norway (Norges forskningsråd).

At the Hydrometallurgical Group of the University of L’Aquila, transforming scientific concepts from laboratory scale into industrial solutions is not new. Over the years, our research group has contributed to the development, scale-up, and industrial implementation of several hydrometallurgical processes, resulting in scientific publications, industrial collaborations, and patented technologies. RE-KAR-PCB follows the same vision.

The photo below shows our current bench-scale prototype, designed for the recovery of precious and critical raw materials from waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs).

As the ultimate objective of the project is the development of a pilot-scale plant in Norway, this prototype represents an important milestone on the path toward industrial implementation.

WPCBs contain significant concentrations of copper, tin, nickel, silver, gold, palladium, and other materials. Recovering these materials not only reduces dependence on primary mining but also contributes to a more resilient and circular supply chain for strategic resources.

This week’s meeting marked an important transition for the project.

We are now moving from the conceptual stage into process optimization and engineering design, working closely with our Norwegian partners, K.A.Rasmussen Group, RENAS AS and Bergfald Miljørådgivere to transform laboratory results into an industrially viable recycling solution.

Exciting challenges lie ahead, and we look forward to sharing further updates as RE-KAR-PCB progresses from prototype to pilot plant.