Hydrofluss - Regeneration of hazardous waste into valuable raw material for the European steel industry

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

Waste has been the focus of EU environment policy for the past 30 years and substantial progress has been made. Heavily polluting landfill sits and incinerators have been cleaned up and new techniques have been developed for the treatment of hazardous waste. Particular attention has been given to the removal of hazardous substances from vehicles and electrical and electronic equipment. The levels of dioxins and other emissions from incineration are also being reduced.

Waste is now increasingly seen as a valuable resource for industry. Reuse, recycling and energy recovery are increasingly being applied to regulated wastes. Diversion of biodegradable waste from landfill and increasing recycling and recovery are also contributing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

OBJECTIVES

The main objective of the HYDROFLUSS project is to demonstrate the recycling of filter cakes, which are commonly considered as a toxic and non-recyclable hazardous waste. The project will demonstrate how this hazardous waste can be transformed into a valuable and useful commodity. The project will also demonstrate the feasibility of replacing virgin minerals with the recycled material. This process will enable steel plants to replace up to 50% of their consumption of the mineral fluorspar (which is considered a virgin mineral, currently mined and transported from China) with the recycled material. Furthermore, the project will show that that the material can be recycled several times (the goal is 3-4 times), thereby further minimising the extraction of mineral resources.

For the first time, a globally accepted vacuum extraction technology, which transforms a waste product into a highly valuable raw material, will be demonstrated. This technology will also have potential applications in different industries and for different waste products.

The pilot recycling plant, which will be constructed and tested during the project, will be mobile in order to facilitate technological demonstration to identified European target groups. It will also allow other plants to integrate this process into their functions, thereby extending the uptake.

Expected results: The main result of the project will be the demonstration of how large volumes of hazardous waste can be transformed into a valuable and useful commodity. This means that the European steel industry will be able replace up to 50% of virgin material transported from China with recycled material that is a by-product from its own manufacturing processes.

Other expected results include:

Demonstration of the recycling of 4 000-5 000 tonnes of hazardous waste;

Demonstration of a 100% fossil fuel free process by using a 100% green energy mix produced on site;

Almost 100 % removal of crystalline water during all stages;

An almost 100% dust free and physically stable product during all stages;

Demonstration of the potential of using renewable energy resources or excess steam from waste incineration: 80% of the energy requirement will come from excess steam produced during incineration of waste, and 20% from electricity generated from the incineration of waste. This will translate into lower treatment costs in the long term.