Accelerating Action in DeepTech: Lynn Lisboa on Mint’s Silver Recovery Technology

We frequently discuss our work in recovering gold and copper from e-waste in Sydney and soon in the United States. However, behind the scenes in our Auckland HQ, we’re working on several other groundbreaking projects to optimize and expand our technology stack to recover other critical and strategic metals.  

In honor of International Women's Day and this year's theme, #AccelerateAction, we sat down with senior scientist Lynn Lisboa, who has been leading our silver recovery project, to learn about her journey in the industry and the progress she’s been making on this new technology.

To start, tell us a bit about yourself and what led you to join Mint.

I started my journey at Auckland University of Technology, where I got a degree in chemistry, and then went to Otago University to complete my PhD in supramolecular chemistry. After completing my studies, I made my way to Adelaide, Australia, where I started my first industry job as a Research Associate. I want to say I was lucky to secure it, but in all honesty, it took many years of hard work, so I don’t want to downplay that.

That role was what introduced me to the world of e-waste and e-waste recycling and sparked my passion for combining practical science with real-world applications. It was so different from the work I was doing at university and showed me the massive potential to make a real impact through science.

Fast forward to how I ended up at Mint. I’d been aware of the company since I was an undergraduate and had actually visited the tiny pilot plant in 2018 when it was still out in Parnell. When I decided to make the move back to New Zealand, I reached out to Mint on a bit of a whim, knowing that they were involved in e-waste and developing tech that was yet to be seen in the industry. After a few conversations back and forth with the R&D team, a role came up that was well-aligned, and the rest is history.

That’s awesome! Can you tell us about the work you’re doing on silver recovery at Mint?

Of course! Mint's silver recovery project is what I started as soon as I joined Mint. Silver recovery was something the company had explored previously, but was put on ice as the company scaled commercially into Australia. It made sense for me to tackle this because, during my PhD, I was working with metals like platinum and palladium, and silver is in a similar realm to those.

In terms of the technology itself, as we’re already recovering copper and gold, we have strong foundations and advantages to explore silver recovery. Essentially, this technology will act as an additional module that will seamlessly slot into our current process, rather than being a completely new end-to-end process that requires a different physical setup.

If we look at circuit boards, there’s a higher quantity of silver than gold, but the monetary value of gold is so much higher. It’s key that our gold recovery technology has been proven economically to justify working on silver.

Why is Mint looking to recover silver if it's significantly less valuable than other metals in e-waste?

While it’s less valuable, silver is a precious metal used in many real-world applications like solar panels. It’s still being mined from the earth, which is unsustainable, and still in demand.

From an environmental perspective, the existing processes to recover silver are pyrometallurgical, meaning they rely on high-temperature smelting, like incumbent technologies for gold recovery. As technological demands continue to evolve and change, we need to get ahead of the demand and prepare for anticipated shortages in supply.

While we have sufficient supply now, demand for silver will continue to go up, so we need to consider how we will source it in the future. Currently, it plays a vital role in various industries, including electronics, medical equipment, and renewable energy technology. In the same vein as gold and copper, mining and high-temperature smelting have immense impacts on the environment and communities, which are issues that should be addressed regardless of whether there is a supply deficiency.  

Mint’s bolt-on module means we’ll create a responsibly sourced supply of this metal, and it aligns perfectly with Mint’s vision, which appealed to me in the first place. We’re truly leaders in this space, so while demand for silver isn’t very high now, we’re staying ahead and thinking about how this technology can be commercially feasible to support growing demand.

What are some challenges you’ve faced so far in the project?

The low cost of silver is a challenge as it puts a ceiling on how much time and effort we invest in developing this technology. The way we’re working around these limitations is by making sure the process is simple and the chemicals we use are non-toxic and easy to treat to maximize efficiency while minimizing costs.

From a scientific perspective, the element of silver can also be tricky to work with as it doesn’t easily stay in solution and therefore doesn’t always do what we want it to. However, although challenging, we’re making great progress. At lab scale, we’ve recovered a pure silver bead, and while it’s still far off from what we’re planning on recovering in our facilities, it’s exciting to see and hold a tangible output of the process, moving us one step closer to bringing this technology to the world and recovering more value from e-waste.

To round off, as it is International Women's Day, do you have any parting advice for other women looking to enter the industry?

Absolutely! What I love about this field is that it's both exciting and important, so it’s incredibly fulfilling. It’s a lot of hard work, but if you have a passion for it, it is a field that is expanding with more awareness of e-waste and more demand for alternatives to smelting and mining.

At Mint, it's especially inspiring to see so many women thriving in the R&D space and across the business, and I hope to see even more in the future. I love that my work involves real science and the creation of technology that has a tangible impact on a global scale. These challenges are exciting, and each step brings us closer to meaningful solutions.

For women considering a similar path, know that your contributions can make a significant difference. Embrace the challenges, as they are opportunities to innovate and drive change. Surround yourself with a supportive network, and don't be afraid to take bold steps.

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