| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2023 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
New Directions in Mineral Processing, Extractive Metallurgy, Recycling and Waste Minimization: An EPD Symposium in Honor of Patrick R. Taylor
|
| Presentation Title |
Alternatives to Pyrometallurgical Recovery of Copper and Gold from Waste Printed Wiring Boards: Process Flow and Environmental Impacts Assessment |
| Author(s) |
Eric Schwartz, Haoyang He, Oladele Ogunseitan, Julie M. Schoenung |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Haoyang He |
| Abstract Scope |
Copper and gold are important metals to recover from waste printed wiring boards (PWBs) due to the high copper content and high value of gold present in this waste stream. These metals are conventionally recovered from PWBs by pyrometallurgical techniques which are typically associated with high emissions of greenhouse gases and toxic compounds. Alternative techniques, mainly hydrometallurgical and biohydrometallurgical techniques, may offer reduced environmental impacts in comparison to pyrometallurgical processes; however, these three processes have not been quantitatively compared to verify potential benefits of the alternatives. In this study, we present industrially feasible processes to recover copper and gold from waste PWBs using pyrometallurgical, hydrometallurgical, and biohydrometallurgical routes, and we compare the environmental impacts of these processes with life cycle assessment and chemical hazard assessment. Our goal is to quantitatively determine which process is preferred in terms of environmental factors such as greenhouse gas emissions and toxic chemical use. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Recycling and Secondary Recovery, Hydrometallurgy, Pyrometallurgy |