Hydrometallurgical electroleaching of waste printed circuit boards using batch or continuous redox mediator activation

The growing volume of electronic waste and increasing interest in the recovery of valuable materials from waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) necessitate effective and sustainable recycling methods. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of hydrometallurgical electroleaching processes using batch and continuous activation of redox mediators to enhance metal recovery from waste PCBs. A series of experiments were conducted to compare the performance of batch and continuous systems with varying concentrations of redox mediators. The results indicated that continuous redox mediation substantially improved metal leaching rates compared to batch processes, resulting in higher recovery efficiency of critical metals such as gold, silver, and copper. Moreover, the study revealed that the optimization of mediator concentration and flow rate in the continuous system further enhanced the overall leaching performance. These findings provide valuable insights into the development of sustainable recycling techniques for electronic waste, highlighting the potential of continuous redox mediator activation as a promising solution for efficient resource recovery. This research contributes to advancing the field of hydrometallurgy and provides a foundation for future studies focused on enhancing the recycling of electronic materials.