Montenegrin environmental services company Hemosan is preparing a new processing line in Bar that will recover gold, silver, platinum and other valuable metals from discarded electronic equipment, expanding Montenegro’s domestic recycling and waste-processing capacity.
The planned facility will process selected fractions of electrical and electronic waste (e-waste), primarily printed circuit boards and components containing higher concentrations of precious metals. Rather than exporting these materials without treatment or allowing them to enter informal waste streams, the company plans to carry out mechanical separation and produce concentrated secondary raw materials for specialist refining. The project introduces a new stage of domestic processing by converting obsolete computers, telecommunications equipment, household electronics and industrial control systems into metal-bearing concentrates suitable for further recovery.
Mechanical separation to produce secondary raw materials
The processing line will include preparation, dismantling and crushing of smaller electronic devices and selected components. Following dismantling, ferrous, non-ferrous and non-metallic materials will be separated, while printed circuit boards and other metal-rich fractions will be directed to precious-metal recovery.
The final product will consist of secondary raw-material concentrates rather than refined bullion, as high-purity gold, silver and platinum generally require additional hydrometallurgical or pyrometallurgical processing by specialised refiners. Domestic pre-processing will allow a larger share of the recycling value chain to remain in Montenegro while reducing transport volumes, lowering cross-border waste shipment costs and increasing the economic value retained by the local operator.
Existing environmental services platform supports expansion
Founded in Bar in 1993, Hemosan employs approximately 36 people and operates across hazardous-waste collection, industrial cleaning, oily-water treatment, marine pollution response and management of electrical and electronic waste. The company operates an environmental centre within the Port of Bar, providing direct access to road, rail and maritime logistics, which could support future consolidation of electronic waste from across Montenegro and potentially neighbouring markets.
Over recent years, Hemosan has developed municipal collection partnerships with authorities and utility companies in Tivat, Nikšić, Danilovgrad, Žabljak, Mojkovac and Kolašin, while electronic waste from other parts of Montenegro is increasingly being delivered to its facilities in Bar. Industry estimates indicate that Montenegro currently collects around 500–600 tonnes of electronic waste annually, although the absence of a comprehensive national tracking system suggests total e-waste generation is likely to be higher.
The company has already invested in dismantling and processing equipment, including a facility capable of treating up to 50 discarded refrigeration units per hour. The new project extends operations beyond basic dismantling towards higher-value recovery of secondary raw materials.
Feedstock quality will determine commercial performance
Printed circuit boards contain copper, together with smaller quantities of gold, silver, palladium and platinum-group metals. Their commercial value varies according to the original equipment, with telecommunications systems, computer servers and older high-grade electronics generally containing higher concentrations of valuable metals than modern low-cost household appliances.
As a result, the economics of the Bar facility will depend not only on the quantity of electronic waste processed but also on the proportion of higher-grade circuit boards, sorting efficiency, metal recovery rates, processing costs and commercial arrangements with downstream refiners. A tonne of mixed household electronics does not have the same recovery value as a tonne of carefully separated telecommunications equipment.
Hazardous material controls remain central
Electronic waste contains recoverable metals but may also include lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, brominated flame retardants and refrigerants. The planned processing line will therefore require controlled dismantling procedures, ventilation systems, dust collection, occupational safety measures, fire protection and documented handling of hazardous residual materials.
Hemosan has previously warned that informal recycling methods, including the open burning of cables to recover copper, continue to occur in parts of Montenegro. The licensed processing facility is intended to provide a monitored alternative for collection and treatment.
Bar location strengthens logistics network
Project documentation identifies Hemosan’s existing site in Bar as the processing location. The facility is situated within an established industrial and logistics zone, approximately 410 metres from the Port of Bar aquatorium.
Its coastal location requires effective containment and emergency-response systems while also providing logistical advantages for shipping processed concentrates and hazardous residual materials to licensed recycling facilities elsewhere in Europe.
Global e-waste volumes continue to rise
Worldwide, approximately 62 million tonnes of electronic waste were generated in 2022, with only around 22% formally collected and recycled. Global e-waste generation is projected to increase to approximately 82 million tonnes by 2030, driven by shorter product replacement cycles, electrification, digital infrastructure expansion, household appliance consumption and the rapid replacement of telecommunications equipment.
The increasing volume of discarded electronics is making e-waste an increasingly important source of secondary raw materials. Europe remains heavily dependent on imported primary and refined metals used in electronics, renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles and industrial automation. Recovery of metals from electronic waste cannot replace mining but can contribute to diversified raw-material supply and reduce material losses.
Domestic recycling capacity supports circular economy
For Montenegro, the project expands domestic recycling infrastructure in a sector where material recovery remains limited. Electronic waste combines hazardous substances with some of the highest-value recyclable materials in the waste stream, making domestic treatment particularly significant for waste management. The project could also strengthen implementation of extended producer responsibility, under which manufacturers and importers finance the collection and treatment of products placed on the market.
A domestic processor provides electronics retailers, telecommunications operators, banks, industrial companies and public institutions with an established route for disposing of obsolete equipment while maintaining documented waste records. Corporate customers increasingly require services including data destruction, equipment identification, weight records, waste classification codes, transport documentation, treatment certificates and downstream material traceability, creating additional service opportunities alongside physical recycling operations.
Regional processing potential remains open
The long-term utilisation of specialised equipment may require additional material from neighbouring Western Balkan markets, given Montenegro’s relatively small domestic waste stream. The Port of Bar and railway connections could support consolidation of selected electronic waste fractions, provided cross-border shipments comply with hazardous-waste regulations and the processing facility receives the required permits. Hemosan has not disclosed the project’s capital expenditure, annual processing capacity or commissioning schedule.
These factors will determine whether the facility primarily serves Montenegro’s domestic recycling market or develops into a regional processing centre. Feedstock supply agreements, metal prices and relationships with accredited downstream refiners are expected to have a greater influence on commercial performance than headline volumes of recovered precious metals. The project marks Hemosan’s transition from collecting and exporting hazardous electronic waste towards domestic processing, material concentration and recovery of secondary raw materials, adding a new industrial activity to Bar’s established port and logistics sector while expanding Montenegro’s recycling infrastructure.
