Sequential electrolytic copper recovery and alkali precipitation as treatment to wastewater from gold-smelting of scrap electronic circuit boards

Date

4-2010

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

College

College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology (CEAT)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Catalino G. Alfafara

Co-adviser

Veronica P. Migo

Committee Member

Jerico R. Aguila, Ma. Cristina V. Mahilum

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Abstract

A sequential resource recovery and treatment scheme involving copper electrodeposition followed by alkali precipitation was explored for the management of gold-smelting wastewater from electronic circuit board processing operations. The value of copper metal from the first- stage electrodeposition process was seen to offset the treatment cost of the wastewater, while the second-stage alkali precipitation was seen to remove other heavy metals and increase probability of DENR compliance. Electrodeposition experiments showed that copper removal efficiency reached more than 90%; the copper ions removed from the wastewater were deposited at the cathode as copper metal. The charge dose for copper removal during electrodeposition was computed to be 3.35 coulombs per milligram of copper removed. Alkali precipitation experiments showed that at pH 10, residual copper concentration passed the DENR Class C standards, while the residual lead and cadmium concentrations were near-compliant. A polishing treatment for cadmium and lead removal and pH adjustment may be needed to achieve DENR compliance. The pH after filtration of the alkali-precipitated effluent decreased to pH 6.98, which became DENR compliant. Preliminary costing showed that the value of the electrochemically recovered copper could offset the total treatment cost, which was estimated at Php 5,308.00, per cubic meter of the wastewater, and could also result to a net gain of Php 3,380.00, for each cubic meter of wastewater treated.

Language

English

Location

UPLB College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology

Document Type

Thesis

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