EWC Code
Wastes containing other heavy metals
EUR-Lex Commission Decision 2000/532/EC — Official Journal L 226, 06/09/2000Have a 06 04 05* stream? See the dossier that replaces the feasibility study.
See the validation dossier~200–600 kt/year metal-bearing residues from inorganic chemical production · Secondary metal recovery value €100–2000/t depending on precious or specialty metal content
Primary buyers include Manufacture of other chemical products and Precious metals production.
Simulate this streamAnnual Volume (EU)
~200–600 kt/year metal-bearing residues from inorganic chemical production
Valorisation Range
Secondary metal recovery value €100–2000/t depending on precious or specialty metal content
Primary Route
Precious and specialty metal recovery
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Get contacts for EWC 06 04 05*EWC 06 04 05* is a specific sub-code under EWC 06 04 — Wastes containing metals other than those mentioned in 06 03. The classification guidance below applies to this waste stream.
EWC 06 04 covers solid and semi-solid metal-bearing wastes from inorganic chemical manufacturing that do not fit the salt/solution classification of 06 03. Sub-codes 06 04 03* (arsenic), 06 04 04* (mercury), 06 04 05* (other heavy metals) are hazardous. Sub-code 06 04 99 covers non-hazardous metal-containing wastes not elsewhere specified.
Key streams include spent vanadium-pentoxide catalysts from sulphuric acid contact processes, spent molybdenum-based catalysts from hydrodesulphurisation, mercury-containing wastes from chlor-alkali amalgam cells (now phased out under the Mercury Regulation), and arsenic trioxide residues from non-ferrous smelting by-product processing.
Precious and platinum-group metal (PGM) catalyst waste commands significant secondary value — rhodium, palladium and platinum recovered by specialist refinery smelting. Vanadium and molybdenum catalysts are recycled through dedicated hydrometallurgical routes. Mercury recovery from 06 04 04* waste is mandatory under the EU Mercury Regulation 2017/852 before any disposal.
Typical Generators
Established valorisation pathways for EWC 06 04 05*, ranked by economic value and market depth.
Spent PGM, vanadium and molybdenum catalysts smelted at specialist secondary refineries. Material assayed before acceptance. PGMs recovered by fire assay + wet chemistry; vanadium leached and precipitated as ammonium metavanadate. Return credit typically covers or exceeds disposal cost.
Mercury-containing wastes (06 04 04*) processed through retort distillation to recover elemental mercury. Under EU Mercury Regulation 2017/852, recovered mercury must be converted to mercuric sulphide or stored permanently in salt mines — export for reuse prohibited.
Residual arsenic, antimony and cadmium-bearing solid wastes (06 04 03*, 06 04 05*) stabilised with cement-based binder and tested to WAC before disposal at hazardous landfill. Arsenic immobilisation using ferrihydrite co-precipitation preferred where technically feasible.
These are the established routes for EWC 06 04 05*. Which one your stream qualifies for depends on its composition, volume and region.
See how this gets validatedPrimary & secondary off-takers
Catalyst manufacturers recycle spent PGM and base metal catalysts through vendor take-back schemes
Specialist refineries recover platinum, palladium, rhodium and gold from spent catalyst and chemical waste
Integrated copper smelters process arsenic-bearing residues, capturing arsenic in calcium arsenate
Mercury retorting and arsenic stabilisation specialist operators
Sectors that valorise EWC 06 04 05* as an input material or secondary raw material.
Wastes containing other heavy metals
With a lab analysis, the engine checks the stream against each receiving route's published limits and returns what is supported, what is refused, and why. Without one yet, we tell you which routes it can evaluate and what analysis that needs.
See what the output looks like: a worked dossier.