Dive Brief:
- BlueOak Resources Inc., a start-up that extracts precious metals from used consumer goods, announced it will use Tetronics technology to recover the gold, silver and palladium from e-waste.
- The Burlingame, CA company’s first plant will be set up in Osceola, AR, with production expected to start at the end of 2015. The facility plans to process 15 million pounds of e-waste annually.
- Tetronics uses a patented plasma technology that separates and recovers the precious metals, then obliterates hazardous elements it encounters.
Dive Insight:
U.S. consumers discard about 3.5 million tons of electronics every year. E-waste is one of the fastest growing sectors in waste. The e-waste industry, valued at $9.84 billion in 2012, is expected to reach $41.36 billion by 2019. Plans for the $33-million facility were announced in February. Only six similar plants can be found in the U.S. at this time.