Comparative studies on hydrometallurgical treatment of smelted low-grade electronic scraps for selective copper recovery

Abstract A comparison of three hydrometallurgical methods for selective recovery of copper from low-grade electric and electronic wastes was reported. Scraps were smelted to produce Cu–Zn–Sn–Ag alloy. Multiphase material was analyzed by SEM–EDS and XRD. The alloy was dissolved anodically with simultaneous metal electrodeposition using ammoniacal and sulfuric acid solutions or leached in ammonia–ammonium sulfate solution and then copper electrowinning was carried out. This resulted in the separation of metals, where lead, silver and tin accumulated mainly in the slimes, while copper was transferred to the electrolyte and then recovered on the cathode. The best conditions of the alloy treatment were obtained in the sulfuric acid, where the final product was metal of high purity (99% Cu) at the current efficiency of 90%. Ammoniacal leaching of the alloy led to the accumulation of copper ions in the electrolyte and further metal electrowinning, but the rate of the spontaneous dissolution was low. Anodic dissolution of the alloy in the ammonia–ammonium sulfate solution led to the unfavorable distribution of metals among the slime, electrolyte and cathodic deposit.