Two-Stage Leaching of PCBs Using Sulfuric and Nitric Acid with the Addition of Hydrogen Peroxide and Ozone.

The paper presents the possibility of recovering metals from printed circuit boards (PCBs) of spent mobile phones using the hydrometallurgical method. Two-stage leaching of Cu(II), Fe(III), Sn(IV), Zn(II), Ni(II) and Pb(II) with HSO (2 and 5 M) and HNO (2 M) with the addition of HO (10 and 30%) and O (9 or 15 g/h) was conducted at various process conditions (temperature-313, 333 and 353 K, time-60, 120, 240, 300 min, type and concentration of leaching agent, type and concentration of oxidant, solid-liquid ratio (S/L)), allowing for a high or total metals leaching rate. The use of two leaching stages allows for the preservation of selectivity, separation and recovery of metals: in the first stage of Fe(III), Sn(IV) and in the second stage of the remaining tested metal ions, i.