Study on hydrometallurgic route for the recovery of metals from obsolete lead free printed circuit boards

• Grant number: 11/51544-5
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2012
• End date: April 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Extractive Metallurgy
• Principal Investigator: Denise Crocce Romano Espinosa
• Grantee: Denise Crocce Romano Espinosa
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

As the increase in the production and consumtion of electric and electronic equipment, caused by the miniaturization of devices and the purchasing power of people, a new portion of the municipal solid waste is highlighted, both the toxicity and the value added: the electronic waste (e-waste) or wasted electric and electronic equipment (WEE E). With the 17% increase expected in notebook / desktop sales compared to 2009 in Brazil, it is imperative the proper management of this waste. With the sanction of the law nº 12.305/2010, establishing the National Policy on Solid Waste, it is expected that the way that industries, traders and consumers treat the waste is improved, preventing that material reaches landfills or illegal recyclers. The portion of the waste of electric and electronic equipment with highest value added is the printed circuit boards. These boards contain about 40% metals, 30% polymers and 30% ceramic, this including toxic substances as lead, cadmium, mercury and polybrominated biphenyls. The European Directive RoHS (Reduced of Hazardous Substances) limits to 1,000 ppm the concentration of these substances in equipment produced since 2002. Thus, the traditional solder Sn-37Pb is replaced by lead free solders, composed by Sn-4Ag-0,5Cu. Therefore, the aim of this work is to characterize lead free printed circuit boards through loss on ignition and digestions of metals with aqua regia, and to study the acid and base leaching process of the metals and also with the aid of ultrasound equipment. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DOS SANTOS, D. M.; BUZZI, D. C.; BOTELHO JUNIOR, A. B.; ESPINOSA, D. C. R.. Recycling of printed circuit boards: ultrasound-assisted comminution and leaching for metals recovery. JOURNAL OF MATERIAL CYCLES AND WASTE MANAGEMENT, v. 24, n. 5, p. 11-pg., 2022-07-06. (19/11866-5, 11/51544-5)