Suez to launch a metal ash recycling plant in Belgium

It is official, Suez will highlight the metals of the ash of combustion in Belgium. The French group plans to recycle metals and non-ferrous concentrates contained in incineration slag (aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, etc.). It should be noted that this process can also recover precious metals such as silver and gold. To do this, Suez announced on January 22 that it will use an innovative process, developed in-house by its subsidiary Valomet: a new factory will be set up in the port area of ​​Ghent that the group considers as the first of its kind in Europe. By 2019, the plant should be capable of recycling 12,000 tonnes a year. As for the ashes of combustion, they will come from France, Belgium, Poland, France and the United Kingdom.

A project in development  since 2015

This innovation has already been tested since 2015 in Ghent. The pilot project recovered metal particles from bottom ash and residues from waste incineration. In a year, about 1,300 tons of non-ferrous metals were thus treated, separated and then reintroduced in metallurgical refineries and foundries. Nowadays, non-recyclable waste was used only for the manufacture of road sub-layers, the development of airstrips and the manufacture of durable and stackable building blocks when mixed with cement. According to the deputy general manager of the group, Jean-Marc Boursier, this innovation is therefore an important step in terms of the circular economy, as it allows to give a second life to the ultimate waste, while preserving the natural resources. .