Tetronics, BlueOak Reclaim Precious Metals from E-Waste

BlueOak Resources has selected Tetronics’ technology for its national project to sustainably recover precious metals from e-waste, one of the world’s fastest growing waste streams.

The first recovery plant will be installed in Osceola, Ark. BlueOak intends to capitalize on the high demand for “technology metals” like gold, silver, copper and palladium by creating distributed urban refineries in the US and throughout the world that recover high-value metals from e-waste.

Production at the Arkansas facility will begin by the end of 2015, initially processing 15 million lbs. of electronic scrap per year, with plans for rapid expansion.

In the US, consumers alone dispose of some 3.2 million metric tons of e-waste annually; more than 80 percent of this ends up as waste, contributing more than 70 percent of all toxic metals in US landfills.

The partnership will help manage e-waste while supplying valuable materials back into the manufacturing supply chain, says Priv Bradoo, BlueOak founder and CEO.

Tetronics says its patented plasma technology couples high technical recovery rates and operational flexibility with low environmental impacts and cost base. The process chemistry is designed to symbiotically and preferentially separate and recover the valuable material in electronics waste while destroying any hazardous components.