SELECTIVE AND EFFECTIVE RECOVERY OF COPPER FROM PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD SCRAPS

Abstract

Copper was recovered from printed circuit boards (PCB) scraps by the combined mechanical and electrochemical method using 7M nitric acid as leaching agent followed by metal electrodeposition electrolyzing leachate. The metal recovery selectivity and effectivity were investigated through determination of electrodeposition potentials based on anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques were also used to reveal the optimized electrolysis parameters. The influence of various process parameters such as current density, pH, and temperature on electrodeposition efficiency was examined. The high recovery efficiency, more than 90 %, was reached for copper electrodeposition from PCB leachate at cathodic current density of 20 mA/cm2, pH=1 and temperature is 40 oC of the electrolyzer solution.