Recycling of printed circuit boards (PCBs) to generate enriched rare metal concentrate

Vinod Kumar; Jae-chun Lee; Jinki Jeong; Manis Kumar Jha; Byung-su Kim; Ratnakar Singh

Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Vol.21, 805-813, January, 2015

DOI10.1016/j.jiec.2014.04.016 Export Citation

Recycling of printed circuit boards (PCBs) to generate enriched rare metal concentrate

Vinod Kumar^{1, 2, †}, Jae-chun Lee^{1, †}, Jinki Jeong¹, Manis Kumar Jha², Byung-su Kim¹, and Ratnakar Singh²

¹Mineral Resources Research Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience & Mineral Resources, Daejeon 305-350, Republic of Korea
²CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur 831007, India

E-mail:,

An eco-friendly process for recycling obsolete PCBs to get enriched rare-metal concentrate using physical separation technique is discussed. Metal concentration in digital video disc (DVD) PCBs is ~43 wt.% whereas in vacuum cleaner (VC) PCBs ~30 wt.% with rare metal of ~ 2.8%. Concentrate grade of ~88% total metals including ~5.85% rare metals in-case of DVD-PCBs while ~90% of total metals including ~2.81% rare metals in-case of VC-PCBs was achieved by froth flotation. While ~75% total metals including ~9.41% rare metals for DVD-PCBs and ~65% total metals including ~5.10% rare metals for VC-PCBs was obtained by pneumatic separation.

Keywords:PCBs;Metal enrichment;Pneumatic separation;Froth flotation;Rare metals

[References]

Kumar V, Lee JC, Jeong J, Kim BS, Korean Earth Syst. Sci. Eng., 47(5), 593 (2010)
Lee JC, Song HT, Yoo JM, Resour. Conserv. Recycl., 50, 380 (2007)
Sun J, Wang W, Liu Z, Ma C, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 50, 11763 (2011)
Talekar MS, Mahajani VV, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 47, 5568 (2008)
Ebner AD, Ritter JA, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 41, 5049 (2002)
Goosey M, Kellner R, Circuit World, 29(3), 33 (2003)
Babbitt CW, Williams E, Kahhat R, Environ. Sci. Technol., 45(12), 5366 (2011)
Chao G, Hui W, Wei L, Jiangang F, Xin Y, Waste Manage., 31(9-10), 2161 (2011)
Cao G, Doppiu S, Monagheddu M, Orru R, Sannia M, Cocco G, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 38, 3218 (1999)
Bruggen BV, Vreese ID, Vandecasteele C, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 40, 3973 (2001)
Serrano DP, Aguado J, Escola JM, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 39, 1177 (2000)
Cui JR, Forssberg E, J. Hazard. Mater., 99(3), 243 (2003)
Tanaka H, Fujimoto S, Fujii A, Hino R, Kawazoe T, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 47, 226 (2008)
Juang RS, Wang YC, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 42, 1948 (2003)
Lee CH, Chang CT, Fan KS, Chang TC, J. Hazard. Mater., 114(1-3), 93 (2004)
Veit HM, Pereira CC, Bernardes AM, J. Met., 54(6), 45 (2002)
Li J, Lu H, Guo J, Xu Z, Zhou Y, Environ. Sci. Technol., 41, 1995 (2007)
Hou S, Wu J, Qin Y, Xu Z, Environ. Sci. Technol., 44(13), 5177 (2010)
Yoo JM, Jeong J, Yoo K, Lee JC, Kim W, Waste Manage., 29, 1132 (2009)
Ogunniyi IO, Vermaak MKG, Miner. Eng., 22(4), 378 (2009)
Harris PJ, Frothing phenomena and frother, in: King RP (Ed.), Principles of Flotation, SAIMM, Johannesburg, 1982, p. 17.
Feng D, Aldrich C, Miner. Eng., 12(7), 721 (1999)
Bindal SK, Sethumadhavan G, Nikolov AD, Wasan DT, AIChE J., 48(10), 2307 (2002)
Duan J, Fornasiero D, Ralston J, Int. J. Miner. Process., 72(1-4), 227 (2003)
Murugan RV, Bharat S, Deshpande AP, Varughese S, Haridoss P, Powder Technol., 183(2), 169 (2008)

[Referenced By]

[1] Kumar V, Lee JC, Jeong J, Kim BS, Korean Earth Syst. Sci. Eng., 47(5), 593 (2010)

[2] Lee JC, Song HT, Yoo JM, Resour. Conserv. Recycl., 50, 380 (2007)

[3] Sun J, Wang W, Liu Z, Ma C, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 50, 11763 (2011)

[4] Talekar MS, Mahajani VV, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 47, 5568 (2008)

[5] Ebner AD, Ritter JA, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 41, 5049 (2002)

[6] Goosey M, Kellner R, Circuit World, 29(3), 33 (2003)

[7] Babbitt CW, Williams E, Kahhat R, Environ. Sci. Technol., 45(12), 5366 (2011)

[8] Chao G, Hui W, Wei L, Jiangang F, Xin Y, Waste Manage., 31(9-10), 2161 (2011)

[9] Cao G, Doppiu S, Monagheddu M, Orru R, Sannia M, Cocco G, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 38, 3218 (1999)

[10] Bruggen BV, Vreese ID, Vandecasteele C, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 40, 3973 (2001)

[11] Serrano DP, Aguado J, Escola JM, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 39, 1177 (2000)

[12] Cui JR, Forssberg E, J. Hazard. Mater., 99(3), 243 (2003)

[13] Tanaka H, Fujimoto S, Fujii A, Hino R, Kawazoe T, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 47, 226 (2008)

[14] Juang RS, Wang YC, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 42, 1948 (2003)

[15] Lee CH, Chang CT, Fan KS, Chang TC, J. Hazard. Mater., 114(1-3), 93 (2004)

[16] Veit HM, Pereira CC, Bernardes AM, J. Met., 54(6), 45 (2002)

[17] Li J, Lu H, Guo J, Xu Z, Zhou Y, Environ. Sci. Technol., 41, 1995 (2007)

[18] Hou S, Wu J, Qin Y, Xu Z, Environ. Sci. Technol., 44(13), 5177 (2010)

[19] Yoo JM, Jeong J, Yoo K, Lee JC, Kim W, Waste Manage., 29, 1132 (2009)

[20] Ogunniyi IO, Vermaak MKG, Miner. Eng., 22(4), 378 (2009)

[21] Harris PJ, Frothing phenomena and frother, in: King RP (Ed.), Principles of Flotation, SAIMM, Johannesburg, 1982, p. 17.

[22] Feng D, Aldrich C, Miner. Eng., 12(7), 721 (1999)

[23] Bindal SK, Sethumadhavan G, Nikolov AD, Wasan DT, AIChE J., 48(10), 2307 (2002)

[24] Duan J, Fornasiero D, Ralston J, Int. J. Miner. Process., 72(1-4), 227 (2003)

[25] Murugan RV, Bharat S, Deshpande AP, Varughese S, Haridoss P, Powder Technol., 183(2), 169 (2008)