Breakthrough in e-waste recycling: Elomatic designs Zero Mine’s groundbreaking facility
Engineering and consulting company Elomatic is playing a key role as a partner in designing Zero Mine’s pre-commercial plant. Planned for Jyväskylä, Finland, the plant will enable the recovery of valuable metals from electronic waste, marking a significant step toward a circular economy.
Zero Mine Solutions Oy, a new Finnish circular economy company, is developing a €40–50 million pre-commercial recycling plant for processing waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The company’s innovative recovery method enables the efficient recovery of critical raw materials and offers a sustainable alternative to traditional mining.
Elomatic is responsible for the plant’s design across all areas and aims to ensure that the extraction plant will be advanced, efficient, and economically viable. Elomatic also carried out the project’s preliminary design, which led to the construction of a test laboratory at the University of Jyväskylä. The scale of the process has now been tripled compared to the preliminary design.
The actual design phase began in spring 2024 and is scheduled for completion in spring 2026. After that, a detailed implementation plan will be prepared where necessary. Production is expected to start in 2029.
Zero Mine strives to ensure that valuable metals return to industrial use across different sectors. Today, only about 25% of the valuable metals and minerals in WEEE are properly recycled. Environmental sustainability is at the core of the Jyväskylä facility’s design, with measures such as closed process sections to minimize water consumption and environmental impact.
Initially, the plant will process circuit boards from end-of-life devices, targeting the recovery of gold, copper, silver, and palladium. Later, the method will expand to include rare earth elements (REEs) such as neodymium, dysprosium, and terbium – critical raw materials essential for renewable energy production, electric vehicles, and the electronics industry.
“We are proud to be part of developing a solution that advances the circular economy of non-renewable materials while strengthening Europe’s self-sufficiency and security of supply. The Zero Mine project is a concrete example of how Finnish engineering expertise can address global challenges. Solution-oriented thinking and scaling up concepts are a core part of our DNA,” says Karoliina Joensuu, lead of Elomatic’s Industry Business Unit.
Zero Mine, founded last year, is owned by Alva-yhtiöt Oy, Tapojärvi Oy, and Elker Oy. The project builds on years of research that led to the development of a patented leaching-based process, enabling the recovery of recycled metals in pure, high-quality form.
“Elomatic has been involved in our project from the very beginning. They have been a reliable partner, willing to embrace new solutions and capable of providing proposals based on strong expertise,” says Risto Ryymin, Acting CEO of Zero Mine.
Further information:
Karoliina Joensuu
Senior Vice President, Elomatic
+358 50 412 0546
karoliina.joensuu@elomatic.com
Elomatic is an international consulting and engineering company that provides top-level expert services, products and turnkey solutions to process, machinery, marine, energy and pharmaceutical industries. We are focused on continuous improvement and sustainable development, and we are committed to design solutions that increase the wellbeing of people and the environment. Established in 1970, Elomatic employs over 1,300 professionals, and has customers in more than 80 countries across the globe.
Zero Mine is a circular economy pioneer company created through the collaboration of Alva-yhtiöt Oy, Elker Ltd., and Tapojärvi Oy, which “mines metals without mining.” The company represents Finnish expertise and a concrete solution for strengthening Europe’s security of supply and resource efficiency. Zero Mine’s patented technology separates critical metals from electronic waste and returns them to industry as clean and high-quality resources – again and again.