European metals refining company Boliden consumed its lowest quantity of scrap circuit boards in nearly a decade last year. | haraldmuc/Shutterstock
For major e-scrap smelting companies, the turbulence of 2020 brought pandemic-driven supply disruptions as well as pricing spikes for key metals.
Silver is a key metal for e-scrap recovery firms. | Arkadiusz Komski/Shutterstock
Silver prices increased sharply over the past week, and financial analysts anticipate they will remain elevated in the near future.
Some analysts predict copper prices will increase close to their 2011 record, when the metal was trading for more than $4.50 per pound. | Syafiq Adnan/Shutterstock
Prices for a major metal found in the electronics recycling stream have climbed high in recent weeks, largely driven by China’s economic recovery following its COVID-19 lockdown.
The Rochester, N.Y. plant will be able to process up to 5,000 metric tons of spent lithium-ion batteries per year. | Parilov/Shutterstock
A lithium-ion battery recycling plant has come on-line in upstate New York.
The e-scrap metals market saw a significant impact from the coronavirus pandemic, which made obtaining supply a challenging task. | Amy_VonDe/Shutterstock
Processors were not alone in feeling supply and demand impacts from COVID-19. Their downstream partners were in a similar boat, as three smelting and refining experts explained during a presentation last week.
Oceanside Electronics is projecting to handle about 4 million pounds of electronics over the coming year. | vladdon/Shutterstock
A longtime non-ferrous metals processor has shifted gears and opened his own electronics recycling facility on the east coast of Florida.
Industry group ISRI said that updated import guidelines are an acknowledgement from China that scrap materials are products, not waste. | Maha Heang 245789/Shutterstock
Chinese authorities have published updated standards for imports of recovered brass, copper and aluminum. They’re set to go into effect on Nov. 1.
Gold prices reached nearly $2,000 a troy ounce in August. | savva_25/Shutterstock
Driven by investors, gold prices have remained high throughout the year, even hitting a recent record high this quarter, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Li-Cycle Incorporated recently announced plans for a Rochester, N.Y. facility capable of processing at least 10 million pounds of lithium-ion batteries per year. | Vietnam stock photos/Shutterstock
Canadian firm Li-Cycle Incorporated, which handles lithium-ion batteries from e-scrap and other sources, is developing a $175 million processing hub in the U.S.
Urban Mining Co. operates a magnet recovery facility just south of Austin. | Courtesy of Urban Mining Co.
Urban Mining Co., which uses an innovative process to recycle rare earth magnets, has received financial backing as part of the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic.