Efficient Recycling of Copper from Waste-Printed Circuit Boards via Suspension Electrolysis Using Response Surface Methodology
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 144, Issue 4
Abstract
Recycling of waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) is an important subject not only for the protection of the environment, but also for the recovery of valuable materials, especially copper. In this paper, an effective and benign process for copper recovery from WPCBs is presented. In the process, copper in the WPCBs was treated through suspension electrolysis to gain copper powder. The effects of process parameters of and concentrations and the current density were studied. Experimental results showed that the suspension electrolysis process is an effective method to recover copper from WPCBs. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electronic differential system (EDS) spectra indicated no other impurities in the recycled copper. The copper recovery conditions were optimized using a Box-Behnken design of response surface methodology. The optimum conditions were observed when the solution contained , , and current density of , resulting in a recovery efficiency of 86.46%. The results indicate the process as a promising method to recover copper from WPCBs.
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Acknowledgments
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51568050, 51768046), the Technology Support Program of Jiangxi Province (20161BBG70042), and the Young Scientist Cultivation Plan of Jiangxi Province (20153BCB23039).
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 144 • Issue 4 • April 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 2, 2017
Accepted: Sep 28, 2017
Published online: Feb 14, 2018
Published in print: Apr 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Jul 14, 2018
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