Excir Gains Popularity
Initially drawing attention through a reality TV show debut, Excir, a Canadian e-scrap firm, furthered its development with an agreement from the British Royal Mint. Now, the company’s success continues to expand as they have been granted nearly $1.9 million in federal funding to construct a demonstration plant.
Millions in Federal Funding
The Government of Canada’s Jobs and Growth Fund has allocated a generous sum of over $25 million Canadian dollars to local Calgary businesses. Fifteen companies in total were granted funds as part of this initiative, with Excir being one recipient of this honor.
A total of $2.5 million Canadian dollars has been assigned to assist Excir in creating and managing a pilot plant, showcasing how its hydrometallurgical leaching technology is capable of rapidly extracting valuable metals from catalytic converters and e-scrap.
The process of hydrometallurgical leaching is a method where an aqueous solution can be used to obtain valuable metals. Extraction is achieved by putting the material into contact with the liquid, which then dissolves the metal from it. Excir said the medium it uses to extract the precious metals “is an extremely mild and eco-friendly solution that can be recycled with negligible environmental impact.”
Boasting that Excir’s technology could extract 99 percent of gold from electronic waste “in a matter of seconds”, the company also attracted the attention of an additional Canadian government-affiliated foundation. They have been awarded another $4.3 million in funding for clean technology initiaves.
British Royal Mint
The United Nations estimated that an astounding 53.6 million tons of electronic waste was created globally in 2019. Much of which contained valuable materials embedded in circuit boards and hardware components. Only 20 percent of this waste was recycled, equating to approximately $57 billion dollars worth of discarded assets.
In 2021, the esteemed British Royal Mint, the U.K.’s government-owned coin producer, made the decision to partner with Excir to use the organization’s hydrometallurgical technology to extract precious metals from e-scrap.
According to The Washington Post, the leaching process will be used at a site in South Wales. This location was determined as Brexit has made it more expensive for Britain to export printed circuit boards to mainland Europe for metals recovery.
“The potential of this technology is huge, reducing the impact of electronic waste, preserving precious commodities, and forging new skills which help drive a circular economy,” the Royal Mint’s chief executive, Anne Jessopp, said in a statement. The U.K. is seeking ways to increase domestic recycling of these materials, and Excir’s solution appears to be promising.
Excir on Reality TV
In 2018, an appearance on CBC Television’s “Dragons’ Den” proved to be a lucrative move for this organization. Similar to the American show “Shark Tank”, they managed to secure over $700,000 in funding. Another impressive move furthering Excir’s notable success.
Eco-Friendly and Profitable
As the value of gold continues to increase, the possibility of extracting precious metals from old electronics is becoming increasingly enticing. A 2019 report conducted by the World Economic Forum found that one ton of cellphones could contain as much as 100 times more gold than one ton of gold ore. Currently, an ounce of gold is priced at roughly $1,750.
The process of hydrometallurgical leaching provides an immense opportunity for those involved in this sector. Excir continues to gain forward momentum with this technology, as demonstrated by multiple beneficial partnerships and hopes of future expansion.
