Panatere CEO Raphaël Broye told the Keystone-SDA news agency: “There is genuine interest in recycling our valuable resources. We want to recycle metal waste from factories locally.” Although there are currently 54 solar furnaces worldwide, the technology developed by the company makes this facility the first to carry out metal recycling using solar energy.
The furnace focuses sunlight using 500 concave mirrors and a heliostat, reaching temperatures of up to 2,000°C. This allows metals to be melted in just 1.5 hours and completely CO₂-free. The charging and separation processes are protected by two separate patents.
Panatere aims to recycle locally 5% of the metals produced in Switzerland, instead of exporting them. CEO Broye stated that the center aims to produce 1,000 tons of solar steel annually by 2028, which will also generate local employment. The project paves the way for developing a solar energy hub for processing strategic metals in the future.
The company announced that it received support from institutions including the Federal Office for the Environment, the cantons of Neuchâtel, Jura, and Bern, SIG (Geneva Industrial Services), the Swiss Climate Foundation, and the Energy Laboratory to implement the project.
The first solar steel rod produced will be exhibited at the International Watch Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
Panatere is headquartered in Saignelégier, Jura canton, and is an SME specializing in processing and recycling metal raw materials. The company’s name comes from the Patois language, meaning “a wicker basket where valuable harvests are collected.”
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