Optimization of electrodynamic separation for metals recovery from electronic scrap

Abstract The performance of an electrodynamic separator has been optimized in the present study for metals recovery from electronic scrap. Eight variables involved in the system was investigated by a 2IV8-4 fractional factorial design in an attempt to determine the significant variables. The effects of those variables were detailed with glass, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as a representative of plastics, copper wires, copper and aluminum granulates. For various binary mixtures of copper wires and glass or PVC plastic, the electrodynamic separator is able to produce copper products with the grade ranging from 93 to 99%, and recovery from 95 to 99%, respectively, under the optimized conditions. Further, one sample which is a middling fraction resulting from air table separation was also tested. For a single pass, copper and aluminum was upgraded approximately from 11 and 7% to 34 and 22%, while maintaining the corresponding recovery of 87 and 99%, respectively.