Hydrometallurgical recovery of copper from discarded printed circuit boards (PCBs)

Abstract

A study on the recovery of copper from discarded printed circuit boards is presented. The procedure starts with the collection of the plates, continuing with the reduction of the size of the material and its classification, which allows obtaining different granulometries. In the second step leaching is carried out with sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide at a controlled temperature, 60 to 80°C, registering concentrations of copper in solution of 9.7 and 12.2 g/L, respectively. In the third stage to separate copper from the solution, liquid-liquid extraction with a specific extracting agent for copper is used. Finally, in the fourth stage, electrodeposition is performed to obtain metallic copper with excellent extraction efficiency values.