01
Residues from non-ferrous metal production, including zinc
Residues from non-ferrous metal production form a concentrated deposit, stockpiled today rather than recovered.
Circular economy · Urban mining · Algeria
The city is a mine. We extract its resources.
Urban Mine DZ applies the urban mining concept in Algeria: turning household and industrial waste into raw materials instead of burying it. Collection, treatment, recovery, remediation and technology transfer, from Rouissat in the wilaya of Ouargla and from our test site in Laghouat.
- The Urban Mine® concept, an internationally registered trademark
- Founded by Dr Farouk Tedjar
- Algerian limited liability company, operating since 2022
- Project undergoing Startup certification
- Household and industrial waste
- Strategic metals
- Spent catalysts
- Asbestos
- Remediation
- Technology transfer
The concept
Waste is not an end. It is a deposit.
First published in 2004 by Dr Farouk Tedjar, the urban mining concept has since been registered as an international trademark. It is now part of the recycling and sustainability landscape.
One of the pillars of the circular economy is recycling: it turns waste into valuable materials that substitute for natural resources. The growing scarcity of strategic metals and the climate stakes make that substitution increasingly decisive.
The concept came out of an observation made during a study carried out for the European Commission under the 5th Framework Programme (1999-2002): the lithium content of spent batteries exceeds the concentration found in ore extracted from natural mines. In other words, the richest deposit is no longer always beneath our feet — it is in what we throw away.
Among the resources critical to a country, metals rank third, just after water and energy. Those who exploit their urban mine gain access to resources their subsoil does not hold: Belgium is a significant exporter of cobalt and palladium without owning a single mine on its territory.
Source: F. Tedjar, Modern Concept in Materials, May 2020.
- 2004First publication of the urban mining concept
- 3rdRank of metals among critical resources, after water and energy
- 7Countries where the original recycling technology was commercialised
Identified deposits
Six urban mines already mapped in Algeria.
Our discussions with several segments of national industry, together with our observation of household waste, have allowed us to identify significant deposits. Exploiting them would solve an environmental problem while injecting resources into the country’s economy. This list is not exhaustive.
02
Spent catalysts
From chemical and petrochemical units, they concentrate rare metals whose recovery would avoid imports paid in foreign currency.
03
Steelworks dust
Electric arc furnace dust contains recoverable metals: it has been the subject of dedicated work by our founder.
04
Incineration bottom ash
Solid residues from incineration: they can be treated to extract their metal fractions and a reusable inert material.
05
Electrical and electronic waste
From households as well as from specialised industry, screens included: the most emblematic deposit of the urban mine.
06
Asbestos waste
On this deposit, we are in a position to offer a national solution in due course, based on a patented process.
Technologies
Treating asbestos at 1,100 °C instead of 2,200 °C.
Asbestos treatment is the first process we are taking to national scale. It rests on research carried out in France by our founder and secured by a granted patent.
The technology relies on high-frequency coupling. It works at a markedly lower temperature than conventional vitrification: around 1,100 °C, against roughly 2,200 °C for a plasma torch. Less energy consumed, for the same result: a vitrified, inert material that can be handled safely.
Process developed and patented by F. Tedjar — patent FR 266062A1.
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01
The asbestos waste
Fibres collected and packaged before treatment.
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High-frequency melting
High-frequency coupling brings the material to around 1,100 °C.
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Pouring
The molten material is poured, then cooled under controlled conditions.
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Vitrified material
An inert, stable glass that no longer releases fibres.
Test site · Laghouat
The trials have begun, in Algeria.
Trials have been started locally, at our Laghouat site, and the first results are encouraging. This is the stage that prepares the move to a national treatment capacity.
Discuss it with us
The processes developed by our founder
The urban mining concept was built on twenty years of applied work. These processes form the technical foundation of the technology transfers we are preparing in Algeria.
- Primary recycling of cells and batteriesTechnology developed at the University of Grenoble, patent FR 9845467, commercialised in France, Spain, the United States, Italy, England, Singapore and China.
- Electric arc furnace steel dustRecovery of the metal fractions contained in the dust emitted by steelworks.
- Incineration bottom ash and fly ashTreatment of the solid residues from waste incineration.
- Thermochemical conversion of asbestosVitrification by high-frequency coupling, at reduced temperature.
- Electrical waste and screensTreatment of end-of-life electrical equipment, screens included.
- Lithium batteries from electric vehiclesThe most recent work, at the heart of the strategic metals question.
Our services
From the field to recovery, six areas.
Beyond technology transfer projects, Urban Mine DZ provides the day-to-day services of waste management and environmental work. All of them correspond to the activities entered in its commercial register.
01
Waste collection
Removal organised according to the nature of the streams and the rhythm of your site.
- Household and similar waste
- Inert waste
- Special and hazardous special waste
02
Disposal and engineered landfill
Routing to the appropriate channels, under the conditions set by the regulations.
- Household and similar waste
- Inert waste
- Hazardous special waste
03
Remediation
Restoring sites and spaces, after examining the situation and the resources required.
- Site diagnosis
- Removal of the materials concerned
- Restoration of the spaces
04
Cleaning and sanitation
Regular or one-off upkeep of your premises, living quarters and outdoor spaces.
- Cleaning and upkeep
- Collection and removal of refuse
- Sanitation services
05
Environmental studies and engineering
Prevention and sanitation programmes, with a research and development component.
- Studies and prevention programmes
- Delivery in scientific engineering
- Research, innovation and modelling
06
Solar and electrical energy
Installation, repair and maintenance of equipment linked to solar energy and electricity.
- Equipment installation
- Repair and troubleshooting
- Maintenance of installations
See the 16 activities entered in the commercial register
Collection
- 619101
- Collection of household and similar waste
- 619102
- Collection of inert waste
- 619103
- Collection of special waste regulated activity
- 619104
- Collection of hazardous special waste regulated activity
Disposal and remediation
- 619201
- Disposal of household and similar waste — engineered landfill centres regulated activity
- 619202
- Disposal of inert waste — engineered landfill centres regulated activity
- 619204
- Disposal of hazardous special waste regulated activity
- 619301
- Remediation
Cleaning and sanitation
- 606201
- Cleaning, upkeep and sanitation company
- 606205
- Refuse collection and removal company
Studies, research and energy
- 607024
- Company for the study and delivery of environmental prevention and sanitation programmes
- 607073
- Company for delivery in scientific engineering
- 607058
- Company for research, innovation and performance improvement
- 607072
- Research and development in the field of biotechnology
- 607055
- Modelling workshop
- 613133
- Installation, repair and maintenance of materials and equipment linked to solar energy, electricity and energy from various sources
The company
Transfer the technology, turn waste into resources.
The Urban Mine company was created to carry out technology transfers and turn local waste into resources. That is exactly the aim behind the creation of Urban Mine DZ in Algeria.
A limited liability company established in Rouissat, in the wilaya of Ouargla, it began operating on 28 November 2022. It has a test site in Laghouat, where the first treatment work has been started.
We work with industrial operators holding deposits, with local authorities facing waste streams, and with companies looking for a partner able to say precisely what it can treat — and what it cannot yet.
The project is undergoing Startup certification with the competent Algerian bodies. The label has not been granted yet: we will say so here as soon as it is.
Discuss your project- RouissatHead office · wilaya of Ouargla
- LaghouatTest site
- 2022Start of activity
- SARLLegal form
Our transparency
The work, patents and publications cited on this site are those of our founder and of the Urban Mine company. No certification, no approval and no client reference is displayed until it can be produced. Ask us for the supporting documents matching your requirement.
The founder
Dr Farouk Tedjar
Researcher and expert in the recycling and recovery of special waste. Author of the urban mining concept, published in 2004 and registered as an international trademark.
- University of GrenobleDevelopment of the primary battery recycling technology — patent FR 9845467.
- European CommissionStudy carried out under the 5th Framework Programme (1999-2002), the origin of the urban mining concept.
- European expertWith the Directorate-General for Research and the Environment.
- Press“Algeria has a strong future in waste recycling” — interview given to Liberté, 30 January 2016.
Our approach
Three steps, no surprises.
Whether it is a regular collection or the study of an industrial deposit, the method stays the same: understand, qualify, organise.
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01
Understand
You describe your site, the nature of the materials involved, the estimated volumes and your constraints. A call or a WhatsApp message is enough to get started.
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Qualify
We check what we can take on and under what conditions. For a deposit, this step may include characterising the material and running trials.
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03
Organise
Scope, schedule, resources committed and terms of intervention are settled together before work begins.
Frequently asked questions
What we are asked most often.
A question that is not covered here? The simplest thing is still to call us.
+213 770 07 87 87What is an urban mine, in practical terms?
It is a stock of waste concentrated enough in useful material to be worked like an ore. A batch of spent catalysts, a stock of circuit boards or steelworks dust contain metals at grades that sometimes exceed those of natural mines.
What if my deposit does not fit your processes?
We will tell you so. Our technical base covers metals, incineration residues, electronics and asbestos; not everything reduces to those. Where that is the case, we would rather point you elsewhere than lead you into a dead end.
What types of waste do you take on for collection?
Household and similar waste, inert waste, as well as special and hazardous special waste, which fall under regulated activities. Describe the material to us: we will confirm whether it is within our scope.
Where do you operate?
Our head office is in Rouissat, in the wilaya of Ouargla, and our test site is in Laghouat. For field work, tell us where your site is. For a recovery project, distance is a different matter: let’s talk it through.
Is asbestos treatment available right now?
The process is patented and trials have been started at our Laghouat site, with encouraging results. Moving to a national capacity is the stage under way: contact us to find out where it stands at the time of your project.
How do I get a quote?
By telephone on +213 770 07 87 87, or through the form on this page, which prepares a WhatsApp message for you to read over before sending. The more precise the description — nature of the material, volumes, location — the faster our answer.
Let’s talk about your project
A deposit, a site, a question.
Write to us by e-mail from this form, or reach us directly by telephone and on WhatsApp. No sign-up.
- Telephone and WhatsApp +213 770 07 87 87
- E-mail contact@urban-mine-dz.com
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Head office
Local n° 01, cité Ezzaiania
Rouissat, wilaya of Ouargla, Algeria - Test site Laghouat