METHOD FOR RECOVERING METALS FROM ELECTRONIC WASTE

• Main Authors: KAUSSEN, Frank Marlin, DEGEL, Rolf, LUX, Timm
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Finnish
• Published: 29.05.2024
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; METALLURGY; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS; PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS

A method for obtaining metals of the 8th to 14th groups, in particular raw copper, comprises the following steps: i) providing and melting down a mixed feed comprising electronic waste in a smelting reactor, so that a first melt with a first metallic phase and a first slag phase is formed; ii) separating out the first slag phase from the smelting reactor; iii) refining the remaining first metallic phase by means of an oxygen-containing gas, possibly with the addition of copper-containing residual materials, so that a second, copper-enriched slag phase is formed; iv) possibly separating off the second slag phase and repeating the step; v) separating off the refined first metallic phase from the smelting reactor; and vi) adding a further mixed feed comprising electronic waste to the remaining second, copper-enriched slag phase and repeating process steps i) to vi).