Simultaneous Recovery of Precious and Heavy Metal Ions from Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Using Polymer Films Containing Cyphos IL 101

Abstract

In this article, the application of a polymer film containing the ionic liquid Cyphos IL 101 for the simultaneous recovery of precious and heavy metal ions ((Ni(II), Zn(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Sn(II), Pb(II), Ag(I), Pd(II), and Au(III)) from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is described. The experiments were performed for solutions containing metal ions released from computer e-waste due to leaching carried out with concentrated nitric(V) acid and aqua regia. It was found that the applied polymer film allows for the efficient recovery of precious metals (98.9% of gold, 79.3% of silver, and 63.6% of palladium). The recovery of non-ferrous metals (Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sn, and Pb) was less efficient (25–40%). Moreover, the results of the performed sorption/desorption processes show that the polymer film with Cyphos IL 101 can be successfully used after regeneration to recover metals ions several times.

The Application of 2,6-Bis(4-Methoxybenzoyl)-Diaminopyridine in Solvent Extraction and Polymer Membrane Separation for the Recovery of Au(III), Ag(I), Pd(II) and Pt(II) Ions from Aqueous Solutions

“…Hence, many studies conducted in recent years search for new extractants/carriers that would allow for more effective recovery of precious metals from aqueous and acidic solutions (e.g., obtained as a result of leaching of WEEE waste) [17,18]. A variety of chemical compounds, both commercially available carriers (e.g., Cyphos IL 101) and non-standard ones (e.g., niacin), have been used for this purpose [19][20][21][22][23][24]. Often, the application of the same compound as the extractant in SE and as the carrier in PIMs produces different results concerning the recovery of both heavy and noble metal ions [25,26].…”