Copper Recovery from Industrial Bimetallic Composite Ionic Liquids by Direct Electrodeposition and the Effect of Temperature and Ultrasound

Abstract

Critical processing protocols of industrial bimetallic composite ionic liquid (IL) are necessary to assure good mass transfer rates for process optimization and efficient metal recovery. Here, the effects of different conditions on the electrochemical behavior and copper recovery from the industrial bimetallic composite IL are crucial for effective resource utilization. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) shows that the reduction of Cu­(I) to Cu(0) during the cathodic reduction region is the irreversible diffusion-controlled process, and the diffusion coefficient increased with temperature which indicated that increasing temperature could promote the diffusion and mass transfer. During electrodeposition, metallic copper is obtained exclusively on the cathode, while CuCl2 accumulates exclusively on the anode. Scanning electron microscopy shows that the micron-size electrodeposits become larger and significantly rougher with increasing temperature and ultrasonic frequency, illustrating that these factors hasten the nucleation and crystallization rates at high overpotentials. The efficiency of copper recovery is greatly improved by employing high temperature and ultrasonic cavitation, and the highest values correspond to r = 76.9% at 80 °C and r = 63.6% at 40 kHz. The study lays the foundation for efficient and rapid recovery of copper from spent ILs.

Exploring the feasibility of Zr-based metal–organic frameworks for the recovery of Sb (V) and Sb (III) from mining waste

“…In this context, the valorization of waste materials emerges as a pivotal element for the world-wide circular economy 4 – 6 . This strategy offers dual benefits: the purification of waste, leading to a subsequent reduction in the overall toxicity of disposables, and the retrieval of metals that would otherwise contribute to the composition of waste materials 7 – 10 . Wastewater of mine tailings generated during the mineral extraction process in different sectors of the metal industry might be harnessed as a source in a procedure engineered to procure one or more essential raw materials.…”