As the success of its France-based e-waste recycling facility continues to establish the company as a leader in European markets, Igneo is ready to expand operations closer to home. Igneo, an electronics recycling company that produces high-grade, sustainable, clean copper concentrate from discarded low-grade consumer electronics, is preparing to expand its operations in Savannah, GA by the fourth quarter of 2023. The company says the new facility on the southeast coast will produce 120,000 metric tons of the renewable and recyclable copper concentrate, and will outproduce its French plant, which currently produces 90,000 metric tons each year.
The heart of Igneo’s growing success abroad and at home is the company’s patented multi-hearth technology. E-waste contains numerous precious metals, such as copper, gold, siler, and palladium. Those metals are often combined with other materials, like plastics and resins, and need to be separated for reuse.
Igneo is able to separate and recover 98% of those precious metals, all while mitigating harmful emissions associated with traditional metal reclamation. This is accomplished by utilizing the technique of pyrolysis – material decomposition at elevated temperatures in the absence of oxygen, which results in minimum formation and emission of greenhouse gasses.
When compared to its competitors across the globe, Igneo is able to boast significantly higher concentration of precious metals and higher margins it can supply smelting partners, reduced carbon footprint, and the elimination of toxic pollutants that also helps reduce impurities in their concentrate.
“The Savannah project is just the beginning for our expansion plans,” says Chief Executive Officer Danish Mir. “We’re excited about extending our reach in the United States, and we hope to expand our European operations as well to bring Igneo to the forefront of the industry.”