COPPER RECOVERY

> Technical Release 2007: FOA is pleased to announce that its CU-MET technology is ready for beta phase commercialization. CU-MET has been a joint venture project between CENTURY and Mr. David ERICSON, the inventor. The government of Canada has supported the development of CU-MET through various types of development grants. International and US patent pending CU_MET converts copper from its liquid or ‘ionic’ form to the solid form for subsequent recycling. The ionic form of copper has been a serious environmental issue in printed circuit and automotive part manufacturing for many years. Sources of this form of copper include: Immersion (electroless), which is used to metallize non metallic surfaces, such as resin or plastic, electrolytic plating solutions, oxidation solutions containing various oxidizers and high levels of ionic copper (oxide). Micro etch solutions used to condition the surface of circuit boards. Much of this waste is currently either incinerated or land filled at great cost. The long-term implications of management of these materials demand more environmentally responsible technologies be developed, thus the impetus for the development of CU-MET. CU-MET utilizes a chemical reaction to do the conversion from ‘ionic’ to metal form, and does not depend upon expensive and difficult to maintain anode/cathode technologies such as electro winning. As previously mentioned, it is capable of converting copper ions from virtually any process. The construction of CU-MET is modular, which allows for rapid and inexpensive maintenance. A fast, state of the art logic controller allows CU-MET to rapidly respond and control the various incoming solutions. CU-MET utilizes a porous medium, which allows for the deposition of metal during the purification process. A patent pending optical sensor technology rapidly adjusts the chemical equilibrium to cause the conversion of metal to the solid form inside the porous medium. After completion, the remaining solution, free of metal ion, may be simply treated and discharged as appropriate. CU-METoptical technology is capable of sensing and adjusting the concentration of metal ion in all concentration ranges that it is found. It is also capable of sensing directly and determining the rate of deposition of metal ion, which until now was not possible. As metal is converted and deposited in the porous medium, it gradually becomes a solid block, which is then removed and recycled. The block can routinely accumulate in excess of 50 lbs of pure metal at high purity (>95%) and it is suitable for direct recycling. CU-MET utilizes touch screen technology and has a user-friendly ‘graphical user interface’ or GUI. All functions of CU-MET may be controlled through the interface, which makes routine maintenance simple. Future software updates will be offered and can easily be implemented. CU-METwas designed with future expandability in mind; future offerings will include process control and data logging capabilities. Modules for control of electroless micro etch and other processes are currently being designed. Data collection and analysis packages will also be offered. CU-MET has a very small ‘footprint’ and is roughly the size of a standard industrial skid. It may be implemented even in factories with very limited ‘real estate’ availability. We look forward to discussing your material remediation and recycling challenges with you directly.