The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) has announced a new partnership with enim Technologies, which extracts precious metals from e-waste, to explore the possibility of incorporating these metals into the Mint’s future coin production.
Enim, based in Montreal, specialises in the ‘revalorization’ of precious metals and critical strategic minerals from obsolete electronic devices, whilst the RCM – as well as producing circulating and commemorative coins – is one of the world’s leading precious metals refiners . Areas being explored to begin with include the feasibility of incorporating enim’s revalorized metals – including gold, silver, and copper- into the RCM’s future coin production, alongside the exchange of expertise in related strategic fields.
Enim plans to launch its first commercial facility in 2027, utlising its patented hydrometallurgical technology. This approach enables the optimal revalorization of obsolete circuit boards by processing metallic, plastic, and ceramic fractions through an eco-friendly solution which does not involve harmful materials such as cyanide, and which aims to be zero waste whilst ensuring full traceability of ethically recycled products.
‘As a high-volume gold refiner, the Mint is committed to operating sustainably, finding new and innovative ways to maximize environmental responsibility. Sourcing metals recovered through urban mining complements our ability to do that and presents an exciting opportunity for the Mint to participate in the circular economy’, said Marie Lemay, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint.
According to a report by the UN’s Global E-Wast Monitor, 62 million tonnes of electronic waste were generated worldwide in 2022, only 22% of which was collected and revalorized in a documented manner. This figure is up 82% from 2010 and is on track to rise another 32%, to 82 million tonnes, by 2030.
Each year, precious metals lost through incineration or landfilling represent an approximate value of US$62 billion, causing additional significant environmental and social issues, the report said, adding that ‘this urban mine represents a major opportunity to revalorize these precious metals and other critical and strategic minerals contained in electronic waste – sustainable activity with high growth potential that also contributes to reducing the environmental impact associated with primary mining.’
The move by the RCM into expanding its through e-wate follows that of the Royal Mint, which announced a tie-up with another Canadian company specialising in e-waste, Excir, and last year opened a new factory in South Wales which it claims will enable up to 4,000 tonnes of gold to be processed from e-waste annually.
The gold recovered by the Royal Mint so far is being used in its 882 gold jewellery collection, rather than coins.
