A technology developed by Montreal startup GreeNovel Inc. is aimed at unlocking the non-recyclable plastics and valuable metals from electronic waste (e-waste) for reuse in the supply chain.

Founded in 2019, the company aims to tackle the problem of pollutants in plastic such as lead, mercury and flame retardants. Its procedure decontaminates the plastics of harmful chemicals and extracts those substances for reuse. If not for the decontamination process, the plastic in e-waste couldn't be recycled due to health and safety issues.

From the electronics, the company extracts critical and rare-earth metals, which too can be recycled into other products.

A prime target for GreeNovel are the computers, smartphones, televisions and litany of devices many Canadians use and dispose of in large numbers. Just under one million tonnes were disposed of in 2020 according to a 2023 study by University of Waterloo researchers, with expectations for that number to rise to 1.2 million tonnes by 2030.

“Everything we produce can be used to make new plastics, and new product, and therefore you reduce the consumption of petroleum,” Sherif Farag, vice president of GreeNovel, told Sustainable Biz Canada in an interview.

Aiding in the recycling of the unrecyclable

Founder and CEO Mai Attia, a chemical engineering PhD, established GreeNovel to support the recycling of plastics, Farag explained. But recycling plastic in Canada is expensive and the recycled plastic costs more than virgin material, giving manufacturers little incentive to choose a recycled plastic source.

To tackle this problem and lower the cost, Attia developed a method that broadens the availability of the kind of plastics that can be recycled.

Using a microwave-based system, the plastics and metals in the e-waste are broken down and the contaminant chemicals are separated.

Farag said the plastics break down into simpler forms called monomers, which can be reused as they are free from chemicals such as bromine and chlorine. The contaminant chemicals can be isolated, then compressed and reused for other purposes, Farag said, such as being reintroduced to other plastics.

Over 65 metals can be extracted from the process, GreeNovel says, such as copper, nickel, titanium and iron. Those metals can be returned to the supply chain for other products, reducing mining demand.

An additional benefit of GreeNovel’s process is how it uses energy-efficient microwaves to melt the e-waste rather than less efficient conventional heating, Farag said. The company’s technology is up to 30 per cent more energy efficient, GreeNovel said, and is more effective at isolating the hazardous chemicals.

To better understand the environmental benefit of its technology, the company is collaborating with Concordia University on a life-cycle analysis that looks at the greenhouse gas reductions as a result of using its recycling system in low- and heavy-emitting grids.

Advancing to commercialization

The plan for the materials at the end of the GreeNovel process is selling to producers. A second part of the business plan is to license the technology to other companies.

The Canadian government has seen promise in GreeNovel. It won a contract valued at over $1.1 million from Innovative Solutions Canada in 2022 for the Plastics Challenge: E-waste program.

At its pilot facility in Granby, Que., GreeNovel could process up to three tonnes of e-waste per day. The city’s industrial incubator fostered the project, which has exceeded expectations and possible business areas, Farag said. “(We planned) to have one patent out of this, now we have many.”

The success of the recycling method led to exploring industrial gas purification as another business opportunity. Its closed-loop technology in development is designed to remove hazardous emissions such as volatile organic compounds, heavy metals and acid gases in the chemicals, waste management, electronics and power sectors.

GreeNovel signed a contract to build a commercial recycling facility on a 75,000-square-foot plot of land in Granby. It is expected to recycle 60 tonnes of e-waste per day, escalating to over 45,000 tonnes per year. Operations are expected to start in the next two to three years.

“This plant will be the first plant in Canada to deal with these plastics,” Farag said.

He envisions establishing recycling facilities in areas that produce substantial quantities of e-waste in the U.S. and Europe.

Funds will be needed to achieve commercialization, which GreeNovel is starting to address by talking to investors, Farag said.