The effect of organic acids as leaching agents for hydrometallurgical recovery of metals from PCBs

Abstract

The hydrometallurgical treatment, compared to other recycling processes, is of great interest due to its higher efficiency and better economy. In hydrometallurgy, popular agents used in the leaching processes of e-waste include inorganic acids, ammonia, chlorides, thiourea, thiosulphates. Organic acids are also becoming more and more popular. The article presents an overview of possible paths of the metal recovery from e-waste with the use of various organic acids. The results of own research on the leaching of printed circuit boards with the use of organic acids including citric acid, oxalic acid, acetic acid, formic acid, malic acid, lactic acid are also presented.

Keywords

• hydrometallurgy
• e-waste
• leaching
• organic acid
• metals recovery