Pre- and Basic Engineering Study

1.    About Indaver

Indaver is a European leader in sustainable waste and materials management, with operations in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Ireland and the United Kingdom. For over 40 years, Indaver has been creating value from waste by recovering essential materials and clean energy from industrial and household waste streams. At the same time, Indaver ensures that harmful substances are safely removed from the cycle to protect people and the environment. In doing so, the company contributes to a cleaner, more resilient society and supports the shift to a circular economy.  

2.    Project Overview

Urban Metals was selected to provide the process engineering for the pre- and basic engineering of the Metals from Fines (MfF) project of Indaver NV. The MfF plant is designed for the recovery of valuable Heavy Non-Ferrous metals from sub 2mm WtE bottom ash. The project was executed together with IHC Mining, where Urban Metals was responsible for the mass balance, process flow diagram, equipment sizing & selection and the process control philosophy.

3.    Scope of Work

The MfF is to be integrated into the existing wet IBA treatment process. A thorough review of the current process, mass balance, and operational fluctuations was carried out to define the requirements for the new plant.

The flowsheet was developed with two key considerations in mind. First, the plant must maintain a stable process, even under fluctuating input conditions. Second, the MfF must be capable of being fully bypassed during maintenance or malfunction, ensuring uninterrupted operation of the existing IBA treatment facility.

Based on the flowsheet and the corresponding mass balance, the required equipment was selected and sized. In parallel, the process control philosophy for the MfF was designed with the objective of achieving a highly automated plant with self‑managing processes, minimizing operator intervention and ensuring consistent performance.

4.    Results and Application

The deliverables provided essential input for IHC Mining BV to develop further engineering materials, including P&IDs, single-line diagrams, and the 3D model. The results were presented in a detailed report covering all predefined deliverables in accordance with the project’s scope of work.