A new environmentally friendly process for the recovery of gold from electronic waste

作者：Barbieri Luisa; Giovanardi Roberto; Lancellotti Isabella^*; Michelazzi Marco

来源：Environmental Chemistry Letters, 2010, 8(2): 171-178.

DOI：10.1007/s10311-009-0205-2

• Cupric chloride
• Ferric chloride
• Chemical etching
• Precious metals recovery
• Electronic waste

A new method for the recovery of precious metals, in particular gold, from electronic waste is proposed. This work focused on the research of an easily renewable etching agent, in order to make an environmentally friendly process possible. Two well known hydrometallurgical etching agents, FeCl(3) and CuCl(2), were evaluated in terms of efficiency and kinetics, testing solutions with different concentration of etchant and hydrochloric acid. The recovery of spent etching solutions was evaluated: promising results were found in the case of CuCl(2), which can be completely restored by oxidation of the cuprous chloride formed during the etching using atmospheric oxygen.

• 出版日期2010-6