• Resources Recycling
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.14-22
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• 2018

In this study, scarp of PCB containing copper and precious metals was manufactured as an anode, and electrorefining experiments were conducted on change of $H_2SO_4$ concentration and current density. Through electrolytic refining experiments, the concentration of Cu and slime recovered from each electrode was analyzed, element behavior was confirmed, and current efficiency was also calculated. As the $H_2SO_4$ concentration was increased, the current efficiency and the purity of Cu decreased, but the precious metals in the anode slime were maximally concentrated with 2.0 M $H_2SO_4$. In addition, as the current density was increased, the current efficiency decreased and the purity of Cu showed a tendency to increase, and the precious metals in the anode slime were maximally concentrated with $300A/m^2$. As a result of the pilot scale experiments, the Au content was 8,705 mg/kg, the Ag content was 35,092 mg/kg in the anode slime. As compared with the initial content, Au was concentrated 16 times and Ag concentrated 14 times.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.23-29
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• 2018

Recently rapid economic growth and technological development have led to an increase in the generation of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). As the amount of electric and electronic waste generated increases, the importance of processing waste printed circuit boards (PCB) is also increasing. Various studies have been conducted to recycle various valuable metals contained in a waste PCB in an environmentally friendly and economical manner. To get anode slime containing Ag and Au, Anode copper prepared from PCB scraps was used by means of electro-refining. Ag and Au recovery was conducted by leaching, direct reduction, and ion exchange method. In the case of silver, the anode slime was leached at 3 M $HNO_3$, 100 g/L, $70^{\circ}C$, and Ag was recovered by precipitation, alkali dissolution, and reduction method. In the case of gold, the nitrate leaching residues of the anode slime was leached at 25% aqua regia, 200 g/L, $70^{\circ}C$, and Au was recovered by pH adjustment, ion exchange resin adsorption, desorption and reduction method. The purity of the obtained Au and Ag were confirmed to be 99.99%.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.16 no.3 s.77
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• pp.3-11
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• 2007

Presently, most of gold is smelted from gold concentrates and anode slimes. Anode slimes are by-products of nonferrous smelters such as lead and copper. In addition, gold is recovered from waste dental and medical materials, waste gold coating solution, and waste printed circuit boards (waste PCBs). The smelting method of gold from gold concentrates and various wastes containing high concentration of gold is largely divided into chlorination, cyanidation, and amalgamation methods. For the anode slimes, electrolysis method is usually used, which largely consists of roasting, high temperature melting and electrolysis processes. Also, various wastes containing low concentration of gold are mainly treated by pyrometallursical processes. In the paper, current status on gold smelting technology is reviewed, and a novel process for gold smelting which is researched in the recent is briefly introduced.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.61-72
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• 2022

We investigated the electrochemical behavior of Sn (93.0 %)-Ag (4.06 %)-Cu (0.89 %) during electrolysis of Pb-free solder waste to recover tin and silver. A thin strip of the solder waste produced by high-temperature melting and casting was used as a working electrode to perform electrochemical analysis. During anodic polarization, the current peak of an active region decreased with an increase in the concentration of sulfuric acid used as an electrolyte. This resulted in the electro-dissolution of the working electrode in the electrolyte (1.0 molL^-1 sulfuric acid) for a constant current study. The study revealed that the thickening of an anode slime layer at the working surface continuously increased the electrode potential of the working electrode. At 10 mAcm^-2, the dissolution reaction continued for 25 h. By contrast, at 50 mAcm^-2, a sharp increase in the electrode potential stopped the dissolution in 2.5 h. During dissolution, silver enrichment in the anode slime reached 94.3% in the 1 molL^-1 sulfuric acid electrolyte containing a 0.3 molL^-1 chlorine ion, which was 12.7% higher than that without chlorine addition. Moreover, the chlorine enhanced the stability of the dissolved tin ions in the electrolyte as well as the current efficiency of tin electro-deposition at the counter electrode.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.62-68
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• 2015

The high pure tin production was conducted from crude-tin containing waste solder by electro-refining process. The electro-refining process maintained at 0.2V produced tin with purity of 99.98%, whereas a little increase of voltage to 0.3 V resulted tin purity of 99.92%. The high pure tin of 3N in the present process was produced by fixing the voltage at 0.3V. Considering the high pure tin production, the current density was maintained within $100-120A/m^2$ with current efficiency of 94%. Addition of sulfuric acid of 20 ~ 25 g/L to the electrolyte solution was performed in order to keep Pb (lead) concentration below 100 mg/L in the final tin product. The anode slime generated during electro refining process was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) study to understand the phases of impurities in it. It detected the presence of Cu and Ag in the slime as in the form of $Cu_6Sn_5$, $Ag_3Sn$, whereas Pb occurred as $PbSO_4$ compound.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.645-655
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• 2014

In order to obtain pure metallic Te from gold concentrate, roasting treatment, hypochlorite leaching, Fe removal and electrolysis experiments were carried out. The contents of Au, Ag and Te from the concentrate sample and roasted sample were much more soluble in the hypochlorite solution than in aqua regia digestion, whereas the metals Pb, Zn, Fe and Cu were easier to leach with the aqua regia than the hypochlorite. With the addition of NaOH in the hypochlorite leaching solution prior to electrolysis, the Fe removal rate achieved was only 96% in the concentrate sample, while it reached 98% in the roasted sample. The results of electrolysis for 240 min, 98% of the metallic copper was recovered from the concentrate sample, while 99% was obtained from the roasted sample due to the removal of S by roasting. The amount of anode slime was also greater in the electrolytic solution with the roasted sample than with the concentrate sample. The results on the anode slime after the magnetic separation process showed the amount of metallic pure native tellurium recovered was greater in the roasted sample than in the concentrate sample.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2014.11a
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• pp.91-91
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• 2014

주석함유 2차 공정 부산물인 양극 슬라임내의 금속을 회수하기 위하여 탄소환원반응을 통해 금속 회수에 미치는 공정변수의 영향을 조사하였다. 열역학 모델링과 금속환원 실험결과, 환원 온도와 고체 환원제인 코크스(cokes)에 공정 변수에 따라 금속으로 환원이 될 수 있음을 확인하였다.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.30-36
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• 2017

Leaching experiments of anode slime were performed with several inorganic acids (HCl, $HNO_3$ and $H_2SO_4$) together with thiourea and thiosulfate solution to recover gold and silver. Gold was not dissolved at all into these inorganic acids in the absence of any oxidizing agents. At the same concentration of inorganic acid, the leaching of percentage of Ag was the highest in the sulfuric acid solution. The leaching percentage of silver increased with the increase of HCl concentration owing to the formation of $AgCl_2{^-}$. Copper, nickel and zinc except tin was almost dissolved in these inorganic acids but no tin was dissolved in nitric acid solution. Most of Au and Ag were dissolved into the mixture of sulfuric acid and thiourea solution. Thiosulfate could dissolve some silver from the anode slime but no gold was dissolved by this agent.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2015.11a
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• pp.217-218
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• 2015

주석은 최근 첨단 전기, 전자 제품의 핵심 소재로써 지속적인 수요 증가가 예상되는 전략 금속이다. 국내의 수요량은 2011년 기준 약 17,000톤 으로 99% 이상 수입에 의존하고 있는 실정이다. 그러나, 국내의 주석 제련 산업은 전무한 상태이며 폐자원에서 재활용하는 회수 기술도 초보 단계이다. 이러한 폐자원 발생량은 12,000톤/year이며, 약 1200억원에 달하는 규모이다. 다양한 폐자원의 선별적 전처리 요소 기술 개발 및 회수 공정 시스템 개발이 절실히 요구된다. 본 연구에서는, 주석 폐자원 중 solder 용융물 및 공정 스크랩 Lead solder, Lead-free solder 등 뿐만 아니라, ITO target 제조 시 발생하는 ITO sludge 등의 고상 폐자원으로부터 페자원의 물성을 파악하여 금속/산화물과의 파/분쇄 및 분급공정을 통하여 고품위의 주석 금속을 회수하였다. 뿐만 아니라, 고순도 주석시 발생하는 양극 슬라임 침출액 등의 액상 폐자원으로부터 희소금속의 추출 및 회수를 위해 습식 전처리 공정을 수행하였다. 침출액은 주석, 구리, 납 등의 유가금속이 이온형태로 존재하고 있으며, Chlorine이 다량 함유되어 있다. 고품위의 주석 산화물을 회수하기 위하여 침출액 내의 구리 제거 공정, Chlorine 제거 공정 등을 순차적으로 수행하여 고품위의 산화물 회수를 수행하였다.