Extraction of Tin and Copper by Acid Leaching of PCBs

Abstract

Printed circuit board (PCB) waste is generally dumped as a landfilling or treated pyrometallurg ically, which consumes enormous power, generates hazardous gases and also destroys valuable PCB co mponents. For recycling of the components, they must be separated from the printed circuit boards wh ich is a cu mbersom e task. For its simplification, the rate of d issolution of solder with acids like Hydrochloric and Nitric of different concentrations was studied. Nitric acid was found suitable and used for the extract ion of copper and tin at roo m temperature. In the leached solution suspended tin and copper nitrates were obtained. X-ray d iffraction (XRD) and Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDA X) was done to characterize the precipitate obtained. Copper in leached solution was recovered by cementation.