Electrochemistry during efficient copper recovery from complex electronic waste using ammonia based solutions

Abstract

Leaching selectivity during metal recovery from complex electronic waste using a hydrochemical process is always one of the generic issues. It was recently improved by using ammonia-based leaching process, specifically for electronic waste enriched with copper. This research proposes electrodeposition as the subsequent approach to effectively recover copper from the solutions after selective leaching of the electronic waste and focuses on recognising the electrochemical features of copper recovery. The electrochemical reactions were investigated by considering the effects of copper concentration, scan rate and ammonium salts. The diffusion coefficient, charge transfer coefficient and heterogeneous reaction constant of the electrodeposition process were evaluated in accordance with different solution conditions. The results have shown that electrochemical recovery of copper from ammonia-based solution under the conditions of selective electronic waste treatment is charge transfer controlled and provide bases to correlate the kinetic parameters with further optimisation of the selective recovery of metals from electronic waste.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

copper recovery / electronic waste / end-of-life products / selective leaching / electrodeposition

References

[1] Omar H, Rohani  S. Treatment of landfill waste, leachate and landfill gas: A review. Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2015, 9(1): 15–32

[2] Bigum M, Brogaard  L, Christensen T H . Metal recovery from high-grade WEEE: A life cycle assessment. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2012, 207-208(1): 8–14

[3] Anindya A. Minor elements distribution during the smelting of WEEE with copper scrap. Dissertation for the Doctoral Degree. Melbourne: RMIT University, 2012

[4] Montero R, Guevara  A, de la Torre E. Recovery of gold, silver, copper and niobium from printed circuit boards using leaching column. Journal of Earth Science and Engineering, 2012, 2: 590–595

[5] Liang G, Tang  J, Liu W ,  Zhou Q. Optimizing mixed culture of two acidophiles to improve copper recovery from printed circuit boards (PCBs). Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2013, 250-251: 238–245

[6] Joda N N, Rashchi  F. Recovery of ultra fine grained silver and copper from PC board scraps. Separation and Purification Technology, 2012, 92: 36–42

[7] Rudnik E, Kołczyk  K, Kutyła D . Comparative studies on hydrometallurgical treatment of smelted low-grade electronic scraps for selective copper recovery. Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China, 2015, 25(8): 2763–2771

[8] Harris G B, White  C W, Demopoulos  G P, Ballantyne  B. Recovery of copper from a massive polymetallic sulphide by high concentration chloride leaching. Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly, 2008, 47(3): 347–356

[9] Long L H, Jeong  J, Lee J C ,  Pandey B D ,  Yoo J M ,  Huyunh T H . Hydrometallurgical process for copper recovery from waste printed circuit boards (PCBs). Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review, 2011, 32(2): 90–104

[10] Koyama K, Tanaka  M, Lee J C . Copper leaching behavior from waste printed circuit board in ammoniacal alkaline solution. Materials Transactions, 2006, 47(7): 1788–1792

[11] Sun Z H I ,  Xiao Y, Sietsma  J, Agterhuis H ,  Visser G ,  Yang Y. Selective copper recovery from complex mixtures of end-of-life electronic products with ammonia-based solution. Hydrometallurgy, 2015, 152: 91–99

[12] Wang J, Wang  H, Han Z ,  Han J. Electrodeposited porous Pb electrode with improved electrocatalytic performance for the electroreduction of CO₂ to formic acid. Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2015, 9(1): 57–63

[13] Nila C, González  I. The role of pH and Cu(II) concentration in the electrodeposition of Cu(II) in NH₄Cl solutions. Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, 1996, 401(1-2): 171–182

[14] Ramos A, Miranda-Hernández  M, González I . Influence of chloride and nitrate anions on copper electrodeposition in ammonia media. Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 2001, 148(4): C315–C321

[15] Grujicic D, Pesic  B. Reaction and nucleation mechanisms of copper electrodeposition from ammoniacal solutions on vitreous carbon. Electrochimica Acta, 2005, 50(22): 4426–4443

[16] Schlesinger M, Paunovic  M. Fundamentals of Electrochemical Deposition. Hobken: Wiley, 2006

[17] Jankovic A, Dundar  H, Mehta R . Relationships between comminution energy and product size for a magnetite ore. Journal of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2010, 110(3): 141–146

[18] Xiao Y, Yang  Y, van den Berg J, Sietsma J ,  Agterhuis H ,  Visser G ,  Bol D. Hydrometallurgical recovery of copper from complex mixtures of end-of-life shredded ICT products. Hydrometallurgy, 2013, 140: 128–134

[19] Sun Z, Xiao  Y, Sietsma J ,  Agterhuis H ,  Yang Y. A cleaner process for selective recovery of valuable metals from electronic waste of complex mixtures of end-of-life electronic products. Environmental Science & Technology, 2015, 49(13): 7981–7988

[20] Meng X, Han  K N. The principles and applications of ammonia leaching of metals—A review. Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review, 1996, 16(1): 23–61

[21] Birdi K. Handbook of Surface and Colloid Chemistry. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2002

[22] Majidi M, Asadpour-Zeynali  K, Hafezi B . Reaction and nucleation mechanisms of copper electrodeposition on disposable pencil graphite electrode. Electrochimica Acta, 2009, 54(3): 1119–1126

[23] Grujicic D, Pesic  B. Electrodeposition of copper: The nucleation mechanisms. Electrochimica Acta, 2002, 47(18): 2901–2912

[24] Darchen A, Drissi-Daoudi  R, Irzho A . Electrochemical investigations of copper etching by Cu(NH₃)₄Cl₂ in ammoniacal solutions. Journal of Applied Electrochemistry, 1997, 27(4): 448–454

[25] Khattab I A, Shaffei  M F, Shaaban  N A, Hussein  H S, Abd El-Rehim  S S. Study the kinetics of electrochemical removal of copper from dilute solutions using packed bed electrode. Egyptian Journal of Petroleum, 2014, 23(1): 93–103

[26] Viswanatha S, George  S. Electrowinning of copper powder from copper sulphate solution in presence of glycerol and sulphuric acid. Indian Journal of Chemical Technology, 2011, 18(1): 37–44

[27] Zoski C G. Handbook of Electrochemistry. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2006

[28] Katayama Y, Dan  S, Miura T ,  Kishi T . Electrochemical behavior of silver in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate molten salt. Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 2001, 148(2): C102–C105

[29] Mahmudul H M, Elius  H M, Mamun  M A, Ehsan  M Q. Study of redox behavior of Cd(II) and interaction of Cd(II) with proline in the aqueous medium using cyclic voltammetry. Journal of Saudi Chemical Society, 2012, 16(2): 145–151

[30] Hinatsu J, Foulkes  F. Electrochemical kinetic parameters for the cathodic deposition of copper from dilute aqueous acid sulfate solutions. Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, 1991, 69(2): 571–577

[31] Bard A J, Faulkner  L R. Electrochemical methods: Fundamentals and applications. New York: Wiley, 1980

[32] ,IbañezA, Fatas  E. Mechanical and structural properties of electrodeposited copper and their relation with the electrodeposition parameters. Surface and Coatings Technology, 2005, 191(1): 7–16

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support on this research from M2i project T45.5.12479 and CAS Pioneer Hundred Talents Program (Sun Z). Dr. Y. Gonzalez Garcia from TU Delft is thanked for the scientific discussion and technical support.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11705-016-1587-x and is accessible for authorized users.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2017 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg