Separation of metals from printed circuit boards of personal computer waste through solvent extraction

Abstract

Increasing volume of solid residues are produced in the world due to the continuous advancement of technology, the electronic offscourings is part of this waste making it necessary the study of recycling process to estimulate the reutilization of its components and them decrease the damage to environment because the management of urban solid residues is one of the biggest concern of modern life once the majority of it is send to landfill or inappropriate place without any kind of control causing environment pollution and healthy problems to population exposed to it. The hydrometallurgical rote consists in an alternative to the recycling of electronic trash. This project purpose is to purify the metals contained in circuit boards of personal computer by techniques like selecting precipitation to remove iron and extraction by solvent to metal separation. It will be used acid extractants like Cyanex 272 e D2EHPA to evaluate the selectivity of recuperation of the metals. It will be analyzed the influence of pH values, the concentration of the extraction and the relation of aqueous/organic, during the stage of extraction and will be evaluated the concentration in the stage of reextraction. As a result of this project it is expected to obtain liqueurs containing the purified metals.