Pilot Program Will Recycle Contaminated Materials

GreeNovel, a Canadian company based in Quebec, has announced it’s commercialized its process for recycling nontraditional low- or negative-value contaminated resources which the company describes as economically and environmentally viable. The company won a 2022 ICIS award for the “Best Process Innovation from a SME".

GreeNovel's invention relies on the interactions between a developed agent and more than 150 contaminants of concern. A novel microwave unit processes E-waste that has been pre-treated, and the reacted agent is completely regenerated. The design of the microwave unit improves microwave energy dissipation efficiency and, consequently, reduces energy consumption compared to the existing state-of-the-art. The solid product contains precious metals and is processed using GreeNovel's proprietary process to produce high-purity metals. The liquid product is utilized in producing various chemical compounds that can be used to make new plastics.

Funding for development of the technology was provided by the Canadian government through its Plastics Challenge: E-waste contract, awarded by Innovative Solutions Canada. The phase 2 contract will support scaling up the technology.

According to GreeNovel, the commercialization paves the way for applying the same concept to gas purification downstream of industrial processes.