Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Screening of Non-cyanide Leaching Reagents for Gold Recovery from Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment

  • Innovations in WEEE Recycling
  • Published:
Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The importance of gold recycling from waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) is continuously increasing due to raising gold demand and the need for new recycling methods for this complex waste. In state-of-the art processes gold is recovered in the copper route. In necessary pre-treatment steps, a significant loss of gold occurs. Furthermore, in this process the gold is bound for a longer time period in a copper phase and is separated in a mixture with other noble metals, which needs further treatment. A direct gold extraction from WEEE by selective leaching and precipitation would have many advantages. Due to raising social awareness of the ecological impacts of cyanidic gold extraction and environmental specifications, cyanide cannot be used as gold extractant in modern processes. Therefore, over the course of this study, two experimental sets have been conducted on each of six non-cyanide leaching reagents to test their feasibility and compare them against each other. Aqua regia and iodine/iodide leaching systems were the most successful reagents, yielding 100% of gold while showing very fast leaching rates. A comparison between the two successful reagents was carried out, with the results favoring iodine leaching due to its high selectivity for precious metals and reduced environmental impact.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Data from 2015 are forecast [1] (color figure online)

Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Baldé C et al (2015) The global E-waste monitor—2014. United Nations University, Bonn

    Google Scholar 

  2. Akcil A et al (2015) Precious metal recovery from waste printed circuit boards using cyanide and non-cyanide lixiviants—a review. Waste Manag 45:258–271

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Zhang L, Xu Z (2016) A review of current progress of recycling technologies for metals from waste electrical and electronic equipment. J Clean Prod 127:19–36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Tuncuk A et al (2011) Aqueous metal recovery techniques from E-scrap: hydrometallurgy in recycling. Miner Eng 25(1):28–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Kasper et al (2015) Electronic waste: recycling techniques (Chapter 9). Springer, Cham

    Google Scholar 

  6. Norgate T, Haque N (2012) Using life cycle assessment to evaluate some environmental impacts of gold production. Elsevier 29–30:53–63

    Google Scholar 

  7. Montero R et al (2012) Recovery of gold, silver, copper and niobium from printed circuit boards using leaching column technique. J Earth Sci Eng 2:590–595

    Google Scholar 

  8. Silver Processing, Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/silver-processing. Accessed 11 Aug 2016

  9. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (2010) Toxicological review of hydrogen cyanide and cyanide salts

  10. Mineral Commodity Summaries (2012) Gold production in world, George US Geological Survey

  11. Marsden K, House I (2006) The chemistry of gold extraction. SME, Littleton

    Google Scholar 

  12. Syed S (2012) Recovery of gold from secondary sources: a review. Hydrometallurgy 115–116:30–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Zhang Y et al (2012) Current status on leaching precious metals from waste printed circuit boards. Procedia Environ Sci 16:560–568

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Park Y, Fray D (2009) Recovery of high purity precious metals from printed circuit boards. J Hazard Mater 164:1152–1158

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Sheng P, Etsell T (2007) Recovery of gold from computer circuit board scrap using aqua regia. Waste Manag Res 25:380–383

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Sahin M et al (2015) A potential alternative for precious metal recovery from E-waste: iodine leaching 50:2587–2595

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Baghalha M (2012) The leaching kinetics of an oxide gold ore with iodide/iodine solutions. Hydrometallurgy 113–114:42–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Chen L et al (2009) Iodine leaching process for recovery of gold from waste PCB. Chin J Environ Eng 3:911–914

    Google Scholar 

  19. Wang H et al (2013) Study on gold concentrate leaching by iodine-iodide. Int J Miner Metall Mater 20:323–328

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Melashvili M, Manimaran M (2014) Study of gold leaching with bromine and bromide and the influence of suphide minders on this reaction. In: Conference of metallurgists proceedings 2014

  21. Tripathi A et al (2012) Leaching of gold from the waste mobile phone printed circuit boards (PCBs) with ammonium thiosulfate. Int J Metall Eng 1:17–21

    Google Scholar 

  22. Ying L, Li X (2011) Thiosulfate leaching of gold and silver from waste mobile phones. In: International conference on bioinformatics and biomedical engineering 2011

  23. Li J, Miller D (2007) Reaction kinetics of gold dissolution in acid thiourea solution using ferric sulfate as oxidant. Hydrometallurgy 89:279–288

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Huyhua J et al (1989) A comparative study of oxidants on gold and silver dissolution in acidic thiourea solutions. In: Proceedings of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, 1989

  25. Zhang W et al (2016) Mechanism and clean procedure to extract gold from printed circuit board. Procedia Environ Sci 31:171–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Wu J et al (2009) Gold and silver selective leaching from printed circuit boards scrap with acid thiourea solution. Nonferrous Metals 61:90–93

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Zhong F et al (2006) Experimental study on leaching gold in printed circuit boards scrap with thiourea. Non-Ferrous Metals Recycl Util 6:25–27

    Google Scholar 

  28. Wu J et al (2008) Study on selectively leaching gold from waste printed circuit boards with thiourea. Chin J Gold 6:55–58

    Google Scholar 

  29. Gernon M (1996) Preparation of a precious metal salt of a non-oxidizing acid by direct reaction. European Patent Application, EP0711753A1

  30. Gernon M et al (1999) Environmental benefits of methanesulfonic acid: comparative properties and advantages. Green Chem 1:127–140

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Zhang J, Lan Z (1992) Leaching gold and silver by the LSSS method—Part I. synthesizing the LSSS and dissolving Au and Ag. In: International Conference-Proceeding Precious Metals, 1992

  32. Zhao L et al (2015) Effects of lime sulfur synthetic solution on leaching characteristic of gold concentrates. Chin J Nonferrous Met 25:786–792

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Ying L, Lu H (2010) The leaching of gold and silver from E-waste by LSSS method. Waste Manag 32:1209–1212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Aylmore M, Muir D (2001) Thiosulfate leaching of gold—a review. Miner Eng 14:135–174

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Process Metallurgy and Metal Recycling, RWTH-Aachen University, Intzestr. 3, 52056, Aachen, Germany

    Alexander Birich, Seifeldin Raslan Mohamed & Bernd Friedrich

Authors
  1. Alexander Birich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Seifeldin Raslan Mohamed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Bernd Friedrich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alexander Birich.

Additional information

The contributing editor for this article was D. Panias.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Birich, A., Raslan Mohamed, S. & Friedrich, B. Screening of Non-cyanide Leaching Reagents for Gold Recovery from Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment. J. Sustain. Metall. 4, 265–275 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40831-018-0160-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40831-018-0160-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation