Hydrometallurgy - efficient metal recycling with low environmental impact

Hydrometallurgy is a branch of metallurgy that uses water-based chemical solutions to extract, separate and recover metals from ores, concentrates or metal-bearing waste. The process involves three main steps: leaching, where metals are dissolved using acids, bases or biological agents; separation, where metals are isolated in pure and concentrated solutions; and recovery, where metals are recovered in pure form by, for example, electrolysis, precipitation or crystallisation.

Hydrometallurgy is particularly important in the treatment of secondary raw materials, such as battery residues, industrial waste and other residual streams - where traditional pyrometallurgical methods are too costly or environmentally unsuitable.

MEAB Metallextraktion AB is a Swedish-German company that has specialised in the development and optimisation of hydro-metallurgical processes for over 55 years. The company's expertise lies particularly in solvent extraction, a selective metal separation technique where organic solutions are used to isolate specific metals. Through its own laboratories and pilot plants in Aachen, MEAB offers everything from feasibility studies to complete process design - with a focus on sustainable and efficient metal recovery.