Refining
Umicore’s advanced refining processes allow for the efficient recovery and refining of germanium from a wide variety of concentrates and byproducts. We can refine nearly any kind of primary material containing germanium, using both pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes. Our technology handles even the most complex recovery and refining challenges and our capacity reaches several thousand tonnes of primary material annually, allowing us to handle high quality volumes with fast turnaround time.
Our solutions are sustainable and environmentally responsible. We have relied solely on zinc-based and recycled germanium sources since 2022, ensuring 100% sustainable Ge in all our solutions.
Delivering high-value outcomes tailored to our customers’ specific material streams is a priority. Since 2022, 100% of our germanium has been sustainably sourced. Unlike other producers that rely on coal-based sources, Umicore exclusively uses zinc-based and recycled germanium. These have a significantly lower environmental footprint, with zinc-based germanium generating 85% less CO₂ emissions than coal-based, and recycled germanium reducing emissions by over 95%.
Recycling
Recycling is central to our closed-loop business model. Umicore offers our customers a one-stop solution for all their germanium recycling needs. We have developed advanced processes that can recover germanium from a wide range of production scraps and end-of-life products, including fiber optics, solar cells, LEDs and infrared optics.
Whether you want to sell germanium materials or have them recycled into end-products, Umicore guarantees quick turnaround.
Our recycling services include both pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes to recycle a variety of solids, cakes, and slurries. We can also recover germanium from complex streams that contain silicon, fluorine and many different metals and can treat several thousand tonnes annually.
Concentration thresholds for recycling streams are as low as 0.5% for solids and 0.5 g/L for solutions. Economic feasibility, however, depends on germanium market notations.