Utilization of a pyrite concentrate for galvanic leaching of copper from a low-grade E-waste

Yacine Lawan Ibrahim B., DEVECİ H., YAZICI E. Y., CELEP O.

Process Safety and Environmental Protection, cilt.201, 2025 (SCI-Expanded) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 201
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.psep.2025.107521
  • Dergi Adı: Process Safety and Environmental Protection
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Aerospace Database, Aqualine, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), Biotechnology Research Abstracts, CAB Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts Core, Chimica, Communication Abstracts, Compendex, Environment Index, Food Science & Technology Abstracts, Greenfile, INSPEC, Metadex, Pollution Abstracts, Veterinary Science Database, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Copper, Experimental design, Galvanic leaching, Pyrite, Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
  • Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study explored a novel method for galvanic leaching of copper from low-grade Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE or e-waste), scrap TV boards (STVB), using a pyrite concentrate (PyC). Without PyC, only 14.1 % copper was extracted in 24 h. However, when PyC was added at a ratio of ∼6.7 (PyC):1(STVB), copper extraction increased significantly to 79.0 %. A full factorial design was employed to study the effects of temperature (20–60 °C), H2SO4 concentration (0.1–0.5 M), and PyC ratio on copper leaching. Temperature and PyC ratio were the most significant factors influencing copper leaching. Kinetic studies revealed that the modified shrinking core model (SCM) was the most consistent with the leach data. The leaching kinetics improved with a reduction in STVB particle size, but decreasing the PyC particle size had a negative impact. Using natural pyrite instead of PyC led to a higher copper extraction (97.8 % vs. 79.1 %). The activation energy was calculated to be 28.2 kJ/mol, indicating both diffusion and chemical reaction control. This galvanic leaching approach holds promise for promoting a circular economy and industrial symbiosis by using waste materials from urban and industrial processes for metal recovery.