TY - JOUR
T1 - Base Metals Extraction from Printed Circuit Boards by Pressure Acid Leaching
AU - Martinez-Ballesteros, Guadalupe
AU - Valenzuela-Garcia, Jesus Leobardo
AU - Gomez-Alvarez, Agustin
AU - Encinas-Romero, Martin Antonio
AU - Mejia-Zamudio, Flerida Adriana
AU - Rosas-Durazo, Aaron de Jesus
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.
PY - 2023/1
Y1 - 2023/1
N2 - Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are a valuable source of raw materials for metal recycling considering that base metal concentration analyses have confirmed that PCB powders are multimetallic in nature and contain high concentrations of Cu, Zn, Ni, and Fe. Given that minerals are not renewable resources, these metals can be recycled through hydrometallurgical processes. In this study, we determined that 2 M sulfuric acid, 0.55 MPa oxygen pressure, and a temperature of 90 °C represent the optimal conditions for leaching of Cu, Zn, and Ni of PCBs, obtaining the highest observed values of recovery of greater than 90% for Zn and 98% for Cu and Ni. The characterization of PCBs by SEM–EDS analyses showed that plates mainly consist of Cu, Ni, and Zn. PCBs can be seen as a potential secondary resource for the recovery of copper, nickel, and zinc. The best potential and pH conditions for the extraction of Cu, Zn, and Ni were also determined on the basis of thermodynamic diagrams.
AB - Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are a valuable source of raw materials for metal recycling considering that base metal concentration analyses have confirmed that PCB powders are multimetallic in nature and contain high concentrations of Cu, Zn, Ni, and Fe. Given that minerals are not renewable resources, these metals can be recycled through hydrometallurgical processes. In this study, we determined that 2 M sulfuric acid, 0.55 MPa oxygen pressure, and a temperature of 90 °C represent the optimal conditions for leaching of Cu, Zn, and Ni of PCBs, obtaining the highest observed values of recovery of greater than 90% for Zn and 98% for Cu and Ni. The characterization of PCBs by SEM–EDS analyses showed that plates mainly consist of Cu, Ni, and Zn. PCBs can be seen as a potential secondary resource for the recovery of copper, nickel, and zinc. The best potential and pH conditions for the extraction of Cu, Zn, and Ni were also determined on the basis of thermodynamic diagrams.
KW - base metals
KW - pressure leaching
KW - printed circuit boards
KW - recycling
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85146562059&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/min13010098
DO - 10.3390/min13010098
M3 - Artículo
AN - SCOPUS:85146562059
SN - 2075-163X
VL - 13
JO - Minerals
JF - Minerals
IS - 1
M1 - 98
ER -