The precious art of metals recycling

Umicore Precious Metals Refining operates an integrated precious metals smelting and refining plant in Hoboken, Belgium. Once a smelter and refiner of complex concentrates, the plant today's feed consists exclusively of industrial and consumer recycled products, making it the world's largest recycling facility for precious metals. Unlike the fairy tale of the Frog Prince, it took much more than a princess' kiss to successfully realize this makeover. A completely renewed plant has been built over the past decade. The most visible technological innovation was the commissioning of the Pb-Cu smelter. Its flexibility towards very different types of feed makes it perfectly suited as main entry to the Hoboken flow sheet. A new Cu-leaching & electro winning plant and precious metals refinery make up the Precious Metals Operations (PMO) whose targets are fast throughput and maximized yields for gold, silver and the platinum group metals. The Base Metals Operations (BMO), flexibly process the by-products from the PMO, valorizing "impurities" like indium, tellurium, selenium and others. Off gas and waste water treatments ensure compliance with strict environmental standards. Precious metals recycling is an art that goes beyond mastering a unique flow sheet. Umicore Precious Metals Refining offers a complete recycling service, taking care of sampling and assaying, metals management and logistics. The quality of this integral service is recognized through the attribution of ISO certifications for our operational activities, sampling and the environmental care. And it's an art that follows Michelangelo's experience: "Art is 5% of inspiration and 95% of transpiration."