BUSINESS
19recyclinginternational.com | November/December | 2020
In 2019 India produced more than three million tonnes of e-scrap of which only 10% was properly processed. Part of the Bangalore facility workforce.
Venkatesha Murthy: ‘Creating awareness
is crucial.’
ARIZoNA START-Up
The blueprint for the India’s first inte-
grated e-scrap facility lies in Phoenix,
Arizona where Murthy, together with
US e-scrap recycler Arrow, is involved
in a state-of-the-art facility for the
recovery of precious metals.
Vans Chemistry was responsible for
the total concept, design, technology
and set-up; Murthy is chief technology
manager of the plant and also a small
shareholder. Getting the project
through its final stage has not been
easy, according to Murthy. ‘Shipping
the technology from Singapore and
Italy to the US was delayed due to the
pandemic, so we had to postpone the
launch.’
Cutting edge recovery and technology
applications used at the Phoenix plant
are essential to help recapture and
reuse the precious metals embedded
in the modern waste stream, believes
Murthy. ‘Our innovative, modular and
closed-loop methods and tools form
the answer to help us all sustainably
meet the growing demand for gold,
silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium,
ruthenium and more.’
Materials will be sourced from elec-
tronics producing industries, the
defence sector, mining concentrates,
dental services and automotive cata-
lysts. Operations are compliant with
international certifications and stan-
dards including R2, ISO 45001, EMS
14001 etc.
Due to be launched in the first quarter
of 2021, the plant will operate under
the name Arrow United Refining and
has the capacity to handle 20 000
tonnes of e-scrap.
oNE VoICE FoR ASIA
Meanwhile, Murthy has initiated a
plan to create a platform for electron-
ics recyclers across Asia. The E-Waste
Recycling Association Asia will bridge
the gap between stakeholders. ‘Asia
does not have any integrated and
organised platform such as the WEEE
Forum, ISRI, ISWA, and IERC to
address e-scrap issues,’ he explains.
‘E-scrap recycling in the region is not
well organised except in a few coun-
tries like Japan, South Korea and
Taiwan.’
According to Murthy, an association
would connect all countries and create
a sustainable environment for all the
stakeholders giving them ‘a collective
voice’ under one umbrella. ‘We aim to
remove confusion in legal frameworks,
make global technology and experi-
ence available, advise policy makers,
transform informal sectors, promote
sustainability and circular economy
practices, create awareness and set up
training programmes for schools and
institutions.’
The association will be launched next
year, he says.
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