The microelectronics specialist AT&S is using World Recycling Day on March 18th as an opportunity to present the progress that has been made in efficient use of resources.
Leoben (OTS) – The new copper recycling plant at the Leoben site, the improved water treatment in India and the green energy infrastructure of the plant in Malaysia are great successes and AT&S is already working on further projects to use valuable raw materials even more efficiently and protect the environment.
„AT&S aims to be among the world leaders not only technologically, but also in the area of sustainable resource use. Our progress over the past year shows that we are well on the way to achieving this goal. The new copper recycling plant in Leoben will soon enable the recovery of up to 1,000 kg of pure copper per day as well as the recycling of a significant amount of chemicals. Efficient recovery processes are also able to drastically reduce the amount of industrial sludge that arises in production and needs to be processed. In addition, the pollution of the wastewater is also significantly reduced. Reusing these important resources protects both the environment and our budget
“, said AT&S CTO Peter Griehsnig.
Running the recycling process yourself on site brings with it some significant advantages. In addition to copper, valuable chemicals can also be recovered and fed directly into the production process. Compared to external recycling, this approach saves around 29% CO2. As part of the copper recycling project, AT&S was able to register eight new patents, six of which have already been approved. The recycling system is an in-house development by AT&S in collaboration with the Montanuniversität Leoben, which was promptly recognized by the customer Airbus with the supplier award for the best improvement project in 2023. Once the fine-tuning of the copper recycling system in Hinterberg is complete, AT&S will begin evaluating the introduction of similar systems in other production facilities worldwide.
More than just recycling
Also last year, a process was implemented at the AT&S site in Nanjangud, India, that allows the recovery of copper and chemicals from used caustics. This system is also already running successfully and promises to recover up to 35 kilograms of copper per hour.
For the new plant in Kulim, Malaysia, all processes were optimized during the planning phase in order to avoid the use of fossil fuels. The electricity requirement will soon come entirely from renewable sources. This means that the goal of avoiding fossil fuels as early as 2030 is within reach.
„We have also set ourselves ambitious goals for the coming years. We already cover almost 62 percent of our energy needs from renewable sources and want to increase this rate to 80% by 2025. Only if we implement our efficiency measures globally and further reduce our ecological footprint can our products fulfill their potential as the basic building blocks of a green and digital economy of the future
“, sagt Marina Hornasek-Metzl, Head of Corporate ESG bei AT&S.
Questions & Contact:
AT & S Austria Technologie & Systemtechnik AG
Gerald Reischl
Vice President Corporate Communications
03842 200 4252 or 0664 8859 2452
g.reischl@ats.net