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Modern Mining targets US e-waste processing as export curbs loom
Modern Mining is building its first commercial plant in Greenville, North Carolina, after moving from lab testing to a pilot and an industrial-scale demonstration.
Modern Mining is preparing to commercialize its electronic waste processing technology as the US seeks to retain critical mineral-bearing material at home and reduce reliance on foreign supply chains, the company said. Discarded electronics can contain high concentrations of valuable base and precious metals, including gold, silver, and palladium, along with rare-earth elements. Modern Mining said President Trump signed a measure in July that gives officials authority under the Defense Production Act to implement export restrictions on some industrial waste to help keep critical minerals and rare elements in the country.
The privately held firm is raising capital to build its first commercial plant after progressing from laboratory testing to a pilot facility and then an industrial-scale demonstration operation in Greenville, North Carolina. Modern Mining processes discarded electronics to recover gold, silver, palladium, and copper, positioning e-waste as an above-ground mineral resource rather than simply a waste stream, according to MINING.COM.
The company’s chief executive, Jeet Basi, said viewing recycling as the start of a new supply chain requires more than keeping feedstock on US soil, noting downstream processing capacity also must expand to turn those materials into usable products. Scaling critical-mineral recycling, the outlet cited from the International Energy Agency, could reduce the need for new mine development by 25.0% to 40.0% by 2050, with estimates including about 40.0% for copper and cobalt and 25.0% for lithium and nickel.
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