VRII-9028-0/Slide 1 Renovare International, Inc. ELECTROLYTIC CELL FIELD EXPERIENCE — THE ROLE OF...

VRII-9028-0/Slide 1 Renovare International, Inc.

ELECTROLYTIC CELL FIELD ELECTROLYTIC CELL FIELD EXPERIENCE — THE ROLE OF FIELD EXPERIENCE — THE ROLE OF FIELD OPERATIONS AND FEEDBACK IN THE OPERATIONS AND FEEDBACK IN THE

COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE RENOCELLRENOCELL®®

NOVEMBER 1999NOVEMBER 1999


TECHNOLOGY FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM

“RenoCell®” embodies a revolutionary electro-deposition technology that Renovare International, Inc. is commercializing and bringing to the market at a time when the demand for more robust, efficient and cost-effective water treatment equipment and systems is growing worldwide.


RENOCELL’SDEMONSTRATED CAPABILITIES

• Achieves metal recovery or effluent discharge limits with sub-mg/L performance

• Collects most metals as elements ready for sale or reuse

• Uses removable cathode cartridges for ease of operations and maintenance

• Improves cost effectiveness and reduces life cycle costs


TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW


RENOCELL BACKGROUND

• Nine years in development by a world-class R&D organization

• Advanced electrochemical R&D focused on:– Current distribution – Potential distribution

– Hydrodynamics – Cell geometry

– Cell components – Cell performance

• Patented by EA Technology, Ltd. (EATL), Capenhurst UK


EATL’S ELECTROCHEMICALCELL DEVELOPMENT

1970 1980 1990 1997

DEM CELL• General Purpose• Synthesis, Waste Treatment• Product (Licensee)• 1984

CHEMELEC CELL• Metal Recovery• Effluent Streams• Product (Licensee)• 1981

CEER CELL• Circuit Boards• Recovery of Cu and Etchant• Product (Licensee)• 1981

ANODIC CORROSION• Synthesis of Metal Salts• Manufacture by EA Technology• 1989

Manufacture byEA Technology(active, 1996)

POROCELL• Metal Recovery• Effluent Streams• Custom Product, Manufacture by EA Technology (active, 1996)

DEVELOPMENTS• Divided Tank Cell• Rotating Cathode Cell• DEM Cell MK II

RENOCELL®1997 LICENSETO RENOVARE


ELECTRODEPOSITION OF METALS

• Recent developments involve improved, high surface area cathodes and metal oxide anodes where the cell performance depends on three mass transport processes:

• Convection in the bulk solution; mixing of the solution can increase the bulk transfer

– Diffusion from the bulk solution to the electrode surface

– Conversion of the adsorbed ion into metal which is restricted by the limiting current for a particular metal and solution chemistry and cannot be overcome by mixing or increasing the potential


3-D ELECTRODEPOSITION OF METALS

• Improvements in applied electrolytical cells have focused on:

– Obtaining high active cathode areas which allows compact design and efficient conversions even at low concentrations

– High current efficiency to minimize energy usage

– High current density to effect rapid metal removal

– Intimate contact between electrolyte and electrodes to provide high mass transport

– Ease of product removal

– Safety and ease of control

– Lower operating and capital costs

VRII-9028-0/Slide 10

Renovare International, Inc.

3-D ELECTRODEPOSITION OF METALS

• Commonly-used 2-D cells, such as tank cells, do not achieve stringent treatment standards.

• Considerable effort directed towards using 3-D cells with packed, fluidized, and porous electrodes. Fluidization of carbon or glass particles increased mass transfer but loss of electrical contact and abrasion of particles during fluidization reduces the performance of these types of cells.

• Considerable efforts have been directed towards finding high surface area, stationary electrode materials. Testing indicates that low concentrations of metals can only be achieved with reasonable current efficiencies by using porous electrodes.



RENOCELL’S R&D

• Objectives in the early 1990’s were:– Enhancement in metal recovery performance over conventional cells

by using porous cathode cells

– Develop a “user friendly” product suitable for industrial applications

• Resulted in a high cathode surface utilization and excellent metal removal rates due to:

– Even electrolyte flow through the entire area of the cathode

– Electrical potential feed (and current flow) to the entire length and circumference of the cathode cylinder

– Removal of the metals by incorporating the carbon cathode and support as a replaceable cartridge

– Recovery of the metal by chemical or anodic redissolution or smelting



RENOCELL’S PATENTEDELECTROLYTIC CELL TECHNOLOGY

Anode

Anode

Porous diffuser core

Plastic Outer Support

Carbon Fiber Plating Element

Cathode Current Feeder

Electrolyte Flow Path

DIN: DRII-6002-1

Post Electrode Connector



RESEARCH LEADS TO A CHANGING PARADIGM ...

• For the first time, an electrolytic cell attains high metal removal rates with sub-mg/L performance.

• This performance is achieved through effective use of 3-D porous carbon cathodes. The 3-D cathode greatly enhances performance because the porous cathode has >500 times greater effective surface area than 2-D cathode of the same nominal size. This high surface area allows metal deposition at higher current efficiencies, lower current densities and higher deposition rates and thereby achieves lower final metal ion concentrations.



TECHNOLOGY PERFORMANCE



• State of the art performance for treatment of process and wastewater containing heavy and precious metals

• Electrochemical deposition of many metals directly from aqueous solutions without the addition of reagents.

• Performance advantages based upon:– Porous high surface area cathode

– Improved current and potential control enhance metal removal

– Compact robust design

– Technology evolution including divided cell

3-D CATHODE USE ALLOWS ...



SUCCESSFULLY DEMONSTRATED METALS

• Cadmium • Nickel

• Copper • Cobalt

• Mercury • Rhodium

• Platinum • Gold

• Iron • Lead

• Osmium • Palladium

• Ruthenium • Silver

• Tin • Zinc



RENOCELL TESTING AND OPERATING PERFORMANCE*

*All tests on 2.5 liter volumes using a 0.015m2 laboratory RenoCell

Current

Application MetalInitial(PPM)

Final(PPM)

Efficiency(%)

Acid sulfate rinse Cu 910 0.02 41

Cu 98.2 0.22 20.7

Cyanide plating rinse Cu 105 0.34 2

Fluoborate plating rinse Cu 115 0.3 38.7

Electroless Cu rinse Cu 82 0.8 14.2

Micro etch bath rinse Cu 44 0.11 20

Cyanide plating rinse Ag 740 0.34 7.5

Cyanide static dragout Cd 107 0.34 2

Acid sulfate rinse Cd 978 0.37 22



RENOCELL TESTING AND OPERATING PERFORMANCE*

(Continued)

*All tests on 2.5 liter volumes using a 0.015m2 laboratory RenoCell

Application Metal

Initial

(PPM)

Final

(PPM)

Current

Efficiency

%

Acid sulfate rinse Zn 77.5 0.23 2

Acid sulfate rinse Sn 93.2 0.5 7

Fluoborate plating rinse Pb 85 0.32 6

Watt’s bath rinse Ni 105 0.5 4

Acid sulfate rinse Cr(III) 124 1 1.6

Cyanide liquor Au 380 <0.1 -

Acidic liquors Pt/Pd 24/110 1/0.01 4

Pt 2000 0.5 -

Pd 500 <0.5 -

Groundwater (acidic) Hg 6.3 0.036 -



COPPER RECOVERY FROM DILUTE PLATING BATH

Time

(minutes)

Concentration mg/l

AverageCurrent

Efficiency

0 4440

30 3360 76

67 2440 63

92 2010 56

120 1380 54

144 820 53

170 256 52

240 0.02 39

Solution: 2.5 liters Flow rate: 2 lpmCurrent density: 400 A/m2

Time (mins)

0.01

0.1

1

10

100

1000

10000

0 50 100 150 200 250 300



ELECTROLYTIC CELL TREATMENT COMPARISON

Effective Operating Range for Copper Removal (PPM) 0.010.1110100100010000

Tank Cell

Reciprocating AnodeCell

Fluidized Bed Cell

Rotating Cathode Cell

Electrolytic Cells

XRII-7028/ED#1

Patented 3-D Cathode



ELECTROLYTIC CELL OPERATING RANGES

10 5 10 10 10 10 1 0.1PPM

100 10 1 0.1 0.01 0.001 0.0001

EFFLUENT & WATER TREATMENT

METAL RECOVERY

Tank Cells

Air Sparged Tank Cells

Enhanced Flow Plate Cells

Rotating Cylinder Cells

Patented 3-D Cathode

4 3 2

g/lxx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx

xx xx xx



TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION



RENOCELLCOMMERCIALIZATION STRATEGY

• Since the principles of electrodeposition are the same for all electrochemical cells, Renovare’s strategy is to “engineer and apply” RenoCell’s patented, 3-D technology to take advantage of its substantially enhanced performance.

• This will allow Renovare to meet its goals of establishing RenoCell as the new standard of performance and economics in heavy and precious metal recovery and effluent treatment applications.



PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

• Products are market-driven and reflect the need for world-class design,“user-friendliness” and ease of implementation across a wide range of industrial applications.

• Renovare uses a seamless outsourcing approach or product design and manufacturing, resulting in rapid development, quicker time-to-market, and lower cost with reduced risks.



RENOCELLPRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

• Cell Design

• Working Electrode Designs

• Counter Electrode Design

• “Divided” Cell Operations



MAJOR FEATURES AND CAPABILITIES

• Porous carbon element cathode– Greatly increased deposition surface area

– High metal extraction rates

– Three to ten times more energy efficient

– Effective at concentrations down to 1 mg/L and below

• Metal deposits plated on carbon element

• Replaceable cathode cartridges– Easy metal removal

– Quick and easy cathode replacement

– Low operating and manpower requirements



• Compact, robust design– Increased reliability in industrial environments

– Very small footprint

– Capable of being wall mounted

• Industry-standard components

• Optional divided cell operations– Allows treatment of anodically-sensitive solutions

MAJOR FEATURES AND CAPABILITIES(Continued)



PRE-PRODUCTION APPLICATIONS AND INSTALLATIONS

Industry Application Metal(s)

Electroplating Dragout tank recovery Cd

Photographic Photographic wastes Ag

Chemical Process effluent Precious metals

Remediation Ground water Various

Electroplating Rinse baths Ag

Chemical Ion exchange regenerants Various

PCB/ElectronicsManufacturer

Process wastes Cu



Industry Application Metal(s)

Metal Finishing Etchant solutions Cu

Chemical Industry Effluent Various

Metal Finishing Process effluent Cd

Metal Finishing Process treatment Cd

Scotch Whisky Water treatment Cu

Remediation Leachate Various

Nuclear Effluent Various

Electric Utility Various Various

PRE-PRODUCTION APPLICATIONS AND INSTALLATIONS

(Continued)



BASIS FOR CELL DESIGN CHANGES

• Improve Performance

• Improve Cell Reliability

• Reduce Maintenance Costs

• Reflect Lessons Learned in the Field

• Reduce Production Cost



HOUSING DESIGN CHANGES

• Hinged Swing Bolts and Handles

• Larger Diameter

• Tapped Pipe Holes for Fluid Flow

• Dual Cathode Posts

• Cathode Post to Feeder Jam Nut Connection

• Straight Cathode Feeder Strips

• Removable Base Plate

CATHODE DESIGN CHANGES



ANODE DESIGN CHANGES

• Feeder Posts through Either Lid

DIVIDER MEMBRANE DESIGN CHANGES

• Tapered Membrane Flanges With O-rings

• Dual Wall Membrane Divide



NEW PRODUCT DESIGNFEATURES FOR RENOCELL

• Top lid easily removable

• All electrical and fluid transfer connections now confined to top and bottom lids

• Current feeder post seals now use O-ring

• Dual current feeder posts for both cathode and anode

• Anode can be mounted with current feeder posts exiting either the top or bottom lids

• Catholyte inlet and outlet connections are now both US 3/4 inch (ISO 25mm) female pipe thread connections

• Anolyte inlet and outlet connections are now both US 1/2 inch (ISO 20mm) female pipe thread connections

• Bottom lid insert is easily removable FOR CELL CLEANING

• Divider assembly allows membrane replacement



RENOCELL SUPPORTS WASTE MINIMIZATION

• RenoCell technology focuses on waste minimization and metal recovery in the complex and diverse world of metal finishing operations. Major considerations include:

– Different types and concentrations of metals, concentrates and rinses

– Variations in waste water volumes

– Increasing life cycle costs of treatment

– More stringent effluent discharge limits



PRINTED WIRING BOARD (PWB) OPERATIONS

• PWB manufacturing are complex operations with over 50 different process steps

• Utilizes variety of metal conductors including:– Copper – Nickel

– Silver – Tin

– Tin/Lead – Gold

• Six to ten major PWB process lines including:– Pattern Plate Acid Copper and Tin/Lead Plating

– Nickel/Gold Tab Plating



PWB PATTERN PLATE ACID Cu AND TIN/LEAD PLATING LINE



PWB Pattern Plate Acid Cu and Tin/Lead Plating Line

Waste Generated Conventional Technology RenoCell

Rinse Water Used 9,000,000 L 180,000 L

Metal Removed 1,200 kg Cu in 30,000 kg sludge 1,200 kg Cu on 150 cartridges430 kg Sn in 8,600 kg sludge

38,600kg sludge

to test, handle and dispose

430 kg Sn on 60 cartridges 210 cartridges with recoverable metal

Plating Line Assumptions:

• 100 panels/hour • 0.048 drag-out ratio• 6 L water/rinse with 12 rinses/hour • Line operates 500 hours/month



Typical Cost Comparison for Cu Removal from PWB Shop Rinse Waters

• 40 PPM copper removal to 1 PPM copper

• Sludge management (including dewatering, transportation and treatment) is $350/ton

• Ion exchange spent resin is assumed to be treated on site

Based on:

Ion Exchange Treatment RenoCell



RENOCELL BENEFITS TO PWB APPLICATIONS

• RenoCell provides PWB manufacturers with several major benefits:

– Virtual elimination of all metal-bearing hazardous sludges, saving over 40% in overall treatment costs

– Total operational cost savings of 70% over conventional treatment methods

– Lower initial capital costs with faster pay back periods (less than 2 years)

– Reduced wastewater loading on existing waste treatment facilities

– Conformance with national and local discharge compliance standards



IN SUMMARY

• RenoCell is the next generation of process and waste water metal ion removal and metal reclamation treatment equipment.

• Renovare’s RenoCell product delivers advanced, patented three-dimensional electrodeposition technology incorporated in a compact, robust cell design.

• The principles of electrodeposition is the same for all electrochemical cells. However, simply put .…

“RenoCell® technology works substantially better.”

VRII-9028-0/Slide 1 Renovare International, Inc. ELECTROLYTIC CELL FIELD EXPERIENCE — THE ROLE OF...

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