Modern Mining Expands US E-Waste Recovery with Distributed Network

Modern Mining is preparing to commercialize its e-waste plant in Greenville, North Carolina, which will recover gold, silver, palladium, and copper without large-scale incineration or new smelting capacity. The company plans a distributed network of modular plants, targeting one new facility per year over five years.

The process flow mimics mineral processing: cutting, grinding, shredding, then gravity separation to liberate metallic fractions. Gravity circuits separate plastics, fibreglass, and other non-metallics, yielding a metallic powder for assay.

Aqueous purification uses selective chemistry to isolate and enrich individual metals into saleable commodity products. Only a small melting step is required at the back end, avoiding new large-scale smelting units.

The International Energy Agency projects that critical-mineral recycling could cut new mine development for copper and cobalt by up to 40% by 2050, aligning with recent coverage of record copper prices. Modern Mining's plan positions it to serve OEMs and data-center operators looking to de-risk supply chains for these metals without adding greenfield permitting exposure in the USA.