PyroTeCnIC-Pyrometallurgy Industry and Smart Packaging Techniques for the Circular Economy

The PyroTeCnIC project is essentially a continuation of two projects started in 2015 within the Reverse Metallurgy, promoting Wallonia's historical know-how in pyrometallurgy in the service of the circular economy of metals: Recopeaux and Plasmetrec
A certain number of observations common to both projects led them to join forces within the PyroTeCnIC project, in order to move forward more quickly towards industrialisation:
- Whatever the pyrometallurgical process envisaged to recycle materials, in this case rather fine (at least in part), it is essential to condition them well to guarantee optimum performance; this involves various stages such as (depending on the case): grinding/screening; metal/mineral separation; addition of additives such as fluxes, binders, reducing agents; partial drying, addition of binder, agglomeration (briquetting).
- Given the variability of the materials processed, the use of digitisation is essential for the control of the processes involved, both for cold conditioning and for plasma furnace treatment.
- For briquetted metal residues to be offered to foundries or steelworks, but also to the plasma furnace, quality assurance is necessary, which is not trivial given the heterogeneity and variability of the flows processed. Here again, digital solutions must be considered.

Based on all these observations, a consortium of various Walloon R&D and industrial players has joined forces within PyroTecNIC with the aim of developing
- shared knowledge in pre-conditioning ;
- a real sector aiming to more easily diversify and massify the flows to be processed with a view to economic profitability: Fiven will deal with crushing-sifting-magnetic separation, the PickIt robotised sorting system developed by ULiège-GeMMe in the framework of Reverse Metallurgy will support Fiven for certain mixed flows of slag/metals or refractories/metals, Revatech will extend its capacities in agglomeration techniques to be able to agglomerate powders as well as sludges or shavings, etc.; MKB and the Aperam steelworks will test some of the substitute alloys produced;
- digitisation solutions aimed at guaranteeing high performance despite the greater intrinsic variability of the materials processed, derived from recycling; in particular: good metallurgical performance and energy efficiency of plasma fusion at Hydrométal, with the support of Equans, as well as the production of certified quality briquettes at Revatech, thanks to the development of specific on-line instrumentation by the CRM
Partners: Hydrométal S.A. Aperam, Marichal Ketin, Revatech, Fiven, Höganäs Belgium, Equans, PEPS Engineering, CRM Group, ULiège-GeMMe, HELMo