A high productivity bioprocess for obtaining metallic copper from printed circuit boards (PCBs)
PCBs constitute a residue rich in metals, among which copper stands out due to its majority content, much higher than that found in natural deposits, so that it is a potential secondary resource. Many attempts have been made to recover copper via biohydrometallurgy because it is an environmentally f...
| Autores: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2023 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/396665 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/396665 https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mineng.2023.108459 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Copper industry and trade PCBs Biohydrometallurgy Copper Bioreactor Solvent extraction Electrowinning Coure--Indústria i comerç Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Enginyeria de mines::Processament de minerals Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria química::Química orgànica::Compostos orgànics Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Desenvolupament humà i sostenible::Enginyeria ambiental::Tractament dels residus |
| Sumario: | PCBs constitute a residue rich in metals, among which copper stands out due to its majority content, much higher than that found in natural deposits, so that it is a potential secondary resource. Many attempts have been made to recover copper via biohydrometallurgy because it is an environmentally friendly route, however, one of its main drawbacks is the low productivity achieved. A global process based on circularity for obtaining copper cathodes from PCBs is proposed. First, PCBs from end-of-life mobile phones are shred to sizes between 800 and 2000 µm. Copper is leached from these pieces in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) at high ferric concentration, at a moderate temperature of 60 °C reaching dissolution rate higher than 1 g/L·h and a yield of 99 %. The solution that leaves the CSTR with concentrations of up to 10 g/L of Cu is passed through a high-performance bioreactor for the regeneration of Fe(III). A biooxidation rate of 1.3 g/L·h was achieved, and no inhibition was observed. Concurrently, copper is recovered in metallic state by solvent extraction and electrowinning with recirculation streams becoming a more profitable and sustainable complete global process. |
|---|