Abstract
Waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) are considered as the most complicated and valuable component among e-waste. Slurry electrolysis can separate and recover metals from the extremely complex WPCBs. To promote its industrial application, a 5000mL scale experiment was conducted to confirm industrial feasibility. Those results showed that copper and total metal recovery rates were 94.5 % and 75.2 % under the optimized conditions (30g/L WPCBs, 10g/L CuSO4·5H2O, 30g/L NaCl, 190g/L H2SO4, 30g/L H2O2, 298K temperature, 250r/min stirring speed, 300 A/m2 and 8h). The copper purity was 92.9 %, and SEM-EDS analyses indicated the main dendritic metals recovered were copper and lead. USEtox toxicity potential evaluation results demonstrated human toxicity and ecotoxicity of WPCBs sharply decreased after treatment. A cost analysis of this process indicated that the $ 1.0 cost was partially offset by the $ 1.9 return from 1kg WPCBs. Thus, slurry electrolysis has a promising industrial future for e-waste recycling/utilization.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
