(Nominationa for 2013 AUREA Award): Jugo-Impex E.E.R - Recycling plant

Source: eKapija Tuesday, 05.03.2013. 15:43
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In September 2012 the Jugo-Impex E.E.R. company from Nis opened a plant for recycling refrigerators and other electronic waste, the first of the kind in the Balkans. This plant monthly recycles up to 600 tonnes of electronic waste, with about 60,000 refrigerators recycled to date. The recycling plant is based on an innovative German technology ensuring safe extraction of dangerous goods from cooling appliances. It makes it possible to separate CFC (Freon gas) from polyurethane foam and filtrate the latter completely to get a fuel of high calorific value, while CFC extracted using a technological process and stored in designated containers ends up in licensed facilities for the destruction of CFCs in Germany instead of being released into the atmosphere.

If all the refrigerators recycled in the Nis-based plant since its commissioning ended up at landfills, six tonnes of CFC, which contributes to ozone depletion, would be released into the atmosphere. Since this is not the case, this environment-damaging gas will soon be destroyed in a special facility in Germany.

With the commissioning of this new plant, the amount of electronic waste recycled at the Nis-based company has been doubled (from 300 to 600 tonnes per month). The quality of the products of such recycling is extremely high, and electronic waste can be used to produce secondary raw materials with as much as 98 percent purity for use in steelworks, foundries, etc.

A greater volume of recycling as well as the enhanced quality of the products of recycling have led to a multiple increase in sales in both local and foreign markets, so that Jugo-Impex E.E.R. now exports its recycling products to Slovenia, China and Belgium.

This recycling plant cost the company EUR 4 million, whereas the total value of the project, including an investment in the network of waste collectors, has reached EUR 7 million.

The new recycling plant employs 120 workers, while the network of collectors gathers about 3,000 collaborators.

INNOVATION

Nis-based Jugo-Impex has implemented a plant for recycling refrigerators and other electronic waste in cooperation with Germany's MeWa, which has over 30 years of experience in designing recycling equipment and is deemed an international leader in its field of work. This recycling plant is BAT (best available technology) in the given industry and the only plant of the kind in the Balkans at the moment.

The recycling plant in Nis is also special because it is the first multi-use plant of the kind as it recycles not only refrigerators, but also all other electronic and electrical waste, which makes it unique.

Jugo-Impex’s new plant, which is based on the German technology, ensures safe extraction of dangerous goods from cooling appliances, that is, makes it possible to separate CFC (Freon gas) from polyurethane foam and filtrate the latter completely. In order to separate Freon from polyurethane foam, it is necessary to change its molecular structure. Refrigerator treatment at the new recycling plant of Nis-based Jugo-Impex turns polyurethane foam into a fuel of high calorific value, while CFC extracted using a technological process and stored in designated containers ends up in licensed facilities for the destruction of CFCs in Germany instead of being released into the atmosphere, which is completely in line with EU regulations. Remaining dangerous goods such as condensers and batteries are recycled in Austria and Germany.

The recycling plant is 70 meters in length, it is fully automated and has the capacity of 80 refrigerators per hour. A total of 600 tonnes of waste are recycled every month, whereas the annual capacity of this plant is 14,000 tonnes of waste.

The products of recycling (copper, iron, aluminum, ABS plastics) are of high-quality chemical compisition and have a high degree of purity (98%), so that they can be immediately used as raw materials instead of new materials. The raw materials produced in this way have two primary additional values: they are not obtained from a mine or an oil source, meaning that both energy and money required to produce these materials are saved, while dangerous, i.e., cancerogenic materials from electronic waste are prevented from ending up in food, air and water.

Secondary raw materials, such as iron, copper and aluminum, are sold to foundries and steel mills, whereas plastics are exported to China.

SOCIAL UTILITY

Illegal techniques for disposing of and recycling dangerous electronic waste, cooling appliances in particular, lead to the leakage of toxic oils and gases into the ecosystem. And while Freon gas causes both irreversible damage to the ozone layer and climate changes, ammonia and cancerogenic oils from electric motors devastate land and water.

The new recycling plant of the Jugo-Impex E.E.R. company has recycled about 60,000 refrigerators since it was put into operation in September 2012. If all these refrigerators ended up at landfills, six tonnes of CFC would be released into the atmosphere, but instead this environment-damaging gas will soon be destroyed in a special facility in Germany.

Nis-based Jugo-Impex has been in the recycling business for as many as 25 years now, and it has been recycling electronic and electrical waste over the last 2.5 years. In 2012 this company collected a total of 6,000 tonnes of electronic and electrical waste and recycled 5,500 tonnes, up from 2,200 tonnes of electronic and electric waste recycled by that company in 2011.

With the commissioning of a MeWa multi-use recycling plant, the amount of electronic waste recycled at the Nis-based company has been doubled, from 300 to 600 tonnes per month.

The company’s new plant will significantly contribute to raising public awareness of recycling, reuse of raw materials and the protection of the environment from dangerous goods.

The recycling process itself is focused on environment protection, and the company’s new plant meets the strictest standards for electronic waste recycling. The process of production as well as all operations conform with the ISO 9001 and ISO14001 standards, and the plant is also in the process of achieving the CE marking.

The process itself is used to separate dangerous from non-dangerous waste, thus allowing for waste disposal and environment preservation in a legal and socially responsible manner. It also contributes to energy savings (no energy is consumed either in primary processes or in the accompanying conveying process, while additional energy is produced through the combustion of materials that are not recycled).

This project also makes a significant contribution on a local level to the creation of new jobs. The new recycling plant employs 120 workers, while the network of collectors gathers about 3,000 collaborators.

FINANCIAL POTENTIAL

Revenues from recycling are twofold: revenues from subventions paid by the state on the basis of the amount of treated electrical and electronic waste, and revenues from the sale of raw materials produced in the recycling process.

With the commissioning of a MeWa multi-use recycling plant, the volume of recycling at the Nis-based company has been doubled. Jugo-Impex used to recycle 300 tonnes of electronic (dangerous) waste, while now it recycles 600 tonnes per month. This increase in the amount of treated electronic and electrical waste has boosted EBITDA to 19 percent. A greater volume of recycling as well as the enhanced quality of the products of mechanical recycling have led to a multiple increase in sales in both local and foreign markets, so that Jugo-Impex E.E.R. now exports its recycling products to Slovenia, China and Belgium.

This project has helped Jugo-Impex E.E.R. acquire the market share of over 65 percent, which makes it a leader in the field of electrical and electronical waste recycling in the Balkans. However, that does not mean that the capacity for the production and financial development of recycling is used up to a major extent. The quantity of electrical and electronic waste in the world grows 5 percent per year, and so do the opportunities for financial prosperity.

Also, the partnership with the renowned company MeWa has opened the door to international cooperation and networking with partners from abroad, thus allowing for the exchange of knowledge and experiences.

If the recycling plant of the Jugo-Impex E.E.R company is your favorite for the investment of the year, you can vote for this candidate at the official website - Aurea.

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