International Conference on Chemical, Civil and Environment engineering (ICCEE'2012) March 24-25, 2012 Dubai

Recovery of Gold, Silver, Palladium, and

Copper from Waste Printed Circuit Boards
Youssef. Chehade, Ameer. Siddique, Hisham. Alayan, Naveena. Sadasivam, Saeed. Nusri, and Taleb. Ibrahim

 like the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)

Abstract—Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are currently being Directive in Europe and the EPA in the US, is not present
dumped in landfills or incinerated which is causing a serious locally. Table I shows some global statistics for e-waste. As an
environmental harm in the form of toxic gases or leached hazardous extrapolation, it is reliable to compare electronic waste
compounds. PCBs contain high amounts of precious metals; about 20
amounts in the UAE to those of developed countries such as
wt% copper, 0.04 wt% gold, 0.15 wt% silver, and 0.01 wt%
palladium. The extraction of these metals from PCBs is both Europe or the US since UAE is known to have a big share of
profitable and environmentally worthwhile. Hence, this study aims to global electronic sales. Even by conservative estimates of
design a commercial process to extract these four metals from PCBs Dubai Municipality, about 10,000 personal computers (PCs)
of computers and mobile phones. This paper discusses the relevant were expected to be dumped by the end of 2007.
market analysis and research that led to the selection of these metals
and PCB sources. Furthermore, the proposed extraction process has TABLE I
been sub-divided into three stages: (1) Physical separation, (2) metal E-WASTE STATISTICS
recovery, and (3) waste treatment. Stage 1 involves size reduction to Amount of waste Year of Surveying
~1 mm diameter, followed by the corona electrostatic separator and Place
in million tons (type) Survey Organization
the hydro-cyclone which separate metals from nonmetals. Stage 2 Globally 20-50 (e-waste) 2006 UN [3]
separates individual target metals from each other by USA 2.37 (electronic) 2009 EPA [4]
hydrometallurgical processing. This stage involves the dissolution of Europe 8.3-9.1 (e-waste) 2005 WEEE [5]
metals in sulphuric acid and aqua regia, followed by the application
of EMEW electrowinning technology which results in metal purities Recycling efforts in the UAE for e-waste are still in their
of up to 99.99%. Stage 3 includes the treatment of byproducts infancy [1]. Although several companies have started
according to environmental, health, and safety standards. campaigns to collect e-waste, initiatives have not been taken
for recycling it locally. For instance, Etisalat held
Keywords—Electronic waste management, precious metals EnviroFone, a mobile phone and e-waste collection campaign,
printed circuit board (PCB), recovery
which collected 40,000 mobile phones and 23 tons of other
I. INTRODUCTION electronic wastes in the UAE in the beginning of 2009. These
numbers are a very small fraction of the potentially available

E LECTRONIC waste (e-waste) is a growing concern

globally as well as in the UAE. The UAE is known to
have one of the lowest life-expectancies of consumer
e-waste in the UAE. However, information could not be found
to indicate recycling within the UAE which might be the
reason of disinterest in collecting e-waste on a larger scale. It
electronics which is around two years of use [1]. As a result, was found that most of the collected e waste either end up in
electronic wastes are piling up in landfills which pose landfills or are shipped off to third world countries like India
potential environmental and health threats. The situation has and China for inappropriate disposal [2]. However, with
been deteriorating due to increasing industrial production increasing awareness, industrial development has become
which has been culminating from a high consumer demand for intertwined with waste management practices. In November
the newest and most powerful gadgets. 2011, Bee’ah launched an e-waste pre-sorting and dismantling
It is difficult to find reliable statistics about amounts of facility at Al Saja'a, Sharjah [3]. However, the facility does not
electronic waste in the UAE because clear strategic surveying, process any of these dismantled parts for recovering the
materials, but it is a promising step towards proper e-waste
Youssef. Chehade is with the American University of Sharjah, Sharjah,
UAE (corresponding author to provide phone: +971503873785; e-mail: management in UAE.
ysf.chehade@gmail.com).
Ameer. Siddique is with the American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, A. Scope of Study
UAE (e-mail: ameer1290@gmail.com). This paper discusses the recovery of gold, silver, palladium,
Hisham. Alayan is with the American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE
(e-mail: hisham.alayan@gmail.com).
and copper from end-of-life printed circuit boards of
Saeed. Nusri is with the American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE (e- computers and mobile phones. The objective is to merge two
mail: saeed.nusri@gmail.com). aspects of a successful project; sustainability in terms of
Naveena. Sadasivam is with the American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, environment, resource and health protection, in addition to
UAE (e-mail: g00032341@gmail.com).
Taleb. Ibrahim is with the American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE profitability in terms of importance of recovered products.
(e-mail: italeb@aus.edu).

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 International Conference on Chemical, Civil and Environment engineering (ICCEE'2012) March 24-25, 2012 Dubai

B. PCB Source Selection particle size distribution. Since PCBs have various
Among all electronic components, PCBs contain relatively compositions, the average weight compositions obtained in
high amounts of precious metals compared to the other Table II will be assumed constant for the feed streams.
components. PCBs of computers and mobile phones are rich 3. This study will focus on the recovery of the selected
in precious metal content and are the most abundant since they valuable metals which are gold, silver, palladium, and copper.
are the backbone of most electronics [1], [4]. The values of Other metals present have been grouped together and labeled
metal compositions of PCBs from different sources like as non target metals.
televisions, personal computers, DVD players, calculators and
others were obtained and analyzed to conclude that PCBs from B. Stage 1: Separation of Metals from Nonmetals
personal computers and mobile phones contain the highest The separation of metals from nonmetals will provide
amounts of valuable metals [5]. appropriate conditions for further processing which involve
the use of chemical reagents and solvents. There are different
C. Target Metals Selection possible approaches to separate metals from nonmetals in
Printed circuit boards in computers and mobile phones PCBs which mainly involve incineration, acid washing or
consist of epoxy resins, plastics, and glass, along with over physical separation. Incineration can be used to burn off the
fifteen metals [5]. Composition values of these metals in the nonmetallic parts of PCB and retain the metals from the ashes.
literature varied due to differences in the sources from which However, incineration causes release of hazardous gases such
the PCBs were obtained. To minimize error, five different as dioxins and furans which can cause severe harm the
sources were selected and their average composition was used environment [13]. Acid washing/bathing can be also used to
and is shown in Table II [6]-[10]. The average compositions of react with the nonmetallic parts of PCB and recover the metals
the metals were multiplied with the average price of the metal either from the rich solvent or as precipitates. However, the
per kilogram. The prices were obtained from metalprices.com process of acid washing is very difficult to control especially
by taking an average estimate over a 2-year period (2010- when including the nonmetallic parts of PCBs as it causes
2011). release of hazardous vapors and fumes. Physical separation
techniques can also be used to separate the metals and
TABLE II
PCB FEED COMPOSITIONS
nonmetals from PCBs. Such techniques are known to have
PCB Feed Compositions
safe and eco-friendly operation. Although they are energy
(wt %)
Gold 0.039 intensive, physical separation technologies are able to produce
Silver 0.156 separate streams of metals and nonmetals. Such separation
Palladium 0.009 paves the way either for more profit from sales of waste
Copper 18.448
Other metals 9.35
plastics and ceramic, or for more future development in the
Non-metals 72 area of recycling of plastics.
B.1. Comminution
Gold, silver, copper, and palladium contributed to more
The particle size of the crushed PCB has significant effects
than 91% of the total worth of metals found in PCBs, and thus
not only on the efficiency of the physical separation
these four metals were selected for further study. The total
equipment, but also on the effectiveness of further treatments
value of these metals added up to $24.3 per kg of PCB.
involving chemical processes. According to Oliveira et al,
shredding of PCBs is a fundamental process which liberates
II. METAL RECOVERY PROCESS
particles from different materials in order to allow further
The proposed approach for the recovery of valuable processing by other physical and chemical technologies [12].
metals from PCBs is divided into three general stages. The The PCB feed which consisted of discarded motherboards
first stage involves the separation of metals from from personal computers were shredded into 5x5cm plates,
nonmetals, the second stage is to separate the target and then grinded to an average diameter of 1.2 mm and
metals from other metals and the final stage is waste characteristic diameters d10=0.48 mm and d90=2.1 mm [14].
treatment. About 80-90% of the principal metals were recovered in that
A. Assumptions size range [14]. The concentrations of metal content in grinded
PCBs vary with different particle sizes of the grinded output.
1. PCBs might contain hazardous materials in electronic
Higher concentrations occur in intermediate fractions in
components such as relays, switches, capacitors, or batteries.
particle size range of 0.4-1.7 mm [14]. This result has been
Such materials include lead, mercury, and arsenic which are
also supported by another study of PCBs stating that the fine
very dangerous to handle. Magnetic materials can also be
fractions were rich in plastic materials while the metals were
found in such components which could cause harm to
fundamentally present in the intermediate fractions with
physical separation equipment. Such components should be
particle size range of 0.3-1.5 mm [12].
manually dismantled by vendors and removed from the PCBs
before any processing [11], [12].
2. For the ability to process solid streams as described
before, the streams should be of uniform concentrations and

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 International Conference on Chemical, Civil and Environment engineering (ICCEE'2012) March 24-25, 2012 Dubai

B.2. Physical Separation C.2. Reduction

Chemical behaviors of metals and nonmetals are The process of reduction should be selective, controllable,
extensively different when using chemical reagents or and have low energy consumption. Electro-refining would be
extraction solvents. For this purpose, the separation of metallic the most suitable for its high selectivity and controllability,
materials from other plastics and ceramics that are found in especially with the advancement of EMEW technology. Since
PCBs is sought prior to any further processing stages through gold, silver, and palladium are available in low amounts,
physical means. electrolysis is to be used for metal recovery due to its
selectivity and ease of control. Electrowinning can eliminate
B.3. Proposed Process for Stage 1
the need of filtration or recovery of metals from salts, as the
For the process of comminution, the proposed design will EMEW technology results in metals of high purity that can be
involve shredding of the PCBs into 5x5 cm plates following collected easily as powder or plates [15].The new aspect of the
by crushing into an average diameter of 1.5 mm. After that, EMEW technology is the setup that makes it continuous,
for physical separation of metals from nonmetals, electrostatic increasing the efficiency of electrolysis. The setup of the
separation using the corona separator will separate metals EMEW cell is composed of a tube that usually acts as the
from nonmetals. This method is highly recommended in PCB cathode where deposition of the metal occurs and a rod that
recycling because of significant differences in conductivity runs along the center of the tube and acts as the anode. The
and electrostatic properties of the different components in electrolytic solution then continuously moves in the tube
PCB. Corona electrostatic separation process is known to have rather than staying static such as in a lab-scale electrolytic cell.
an eco-friendly operation and low energy cost. The corona This technology was first introduced in Brisbane, Australia, in
separator will produce a middlings product which can be 1995, and has been tested, verified and implemented in
further crushed into an average particle diameter of less than industry especially for copper recovery [16]. EMEW
0.07 mm and sent to a Falcon concentrator for further technology can provide continuous operation, ease of
separation of metals from nonmetals. Magnetic separation can harvesting deposited metals, controlled safe and eco-friendly
be further used to separate ferromagnetic from non- operation, selective electrowinning of metals, and has
ferromagnetic metals. The target streams of Stage 1, which effective ability to tolerate contaminants [15], [17]. EMEW
would contain gold, silver, palladium, copper, zinc, tin, and might require a large capital investment and a need of special
other nonferrous metals will be further processed in Stage 2 materials to handle highly corrosive agents such as aqua regia.
for recovery of valuable metals. However, the outcome of recovery can compensate its capital
C. Stage 2: Separation of the Individual Valuable Metals cost.
The feed to Stage 2 consist of a mixture of different metal C.3. Proposed Process for Stage 2
and this stage is where all the metals of interest will be The non-ferromagnetic metallic streams from Stage 1 are to
separated from the mixture and extracted as pure metals which undergo dissolution in sulfuric acid to dissolve the non-target
can be sold. The metals selected for recovery in this study are metals. This effluent is to be separated from the remaining
gold, silver, palladium and copper. Therefore, a process is target metals (Au, Ag, Pd, and Cu) and is to be considered as a
needed which can selectively and quantitatively separate each byproduct liquid stream. The target metals are to be further
of these metals from the mixture, taking into consideration all dissolved using aqua regia. After complete dissolution, the
other possibly present metals. Pyrometallurgical processes are stream of aqua regia which contains the dissolved target
not selective, require major amounts of energy and can form metals enters a series of four EMEW electrowinning
uncontrolled harmful products. Physical processes do not operations, each for the reduction of a specific target metal
satisfy the needs for Stage 2 of obtaining high purity metals as (Au, Ag, Pd, and Cu). According to the applied potential and
output and hence cannot be used. Hydrometallurgical the setup of the EMEW, copper is to be deposited in the first
processes can provide high selectivity, high purity output, EMEW cell because of the lowest required applied potential
controlled environment, and good recovery. Stage 2 acts as and the highest amount, followed by gold, then palladium, and
integral part in the recovery process as it involves separation silver finally. The spent aqua regia is then either recycled for
and extraction of metals from the solid metal effluent mixture reuse or is to be treated as a byproduct.
from Stage 1. Hydrometallurgical processes have been The products of Stage 2 are the separated individual metals
proposed as the most beneficial process for this stage. in solid form, as well as liquid byproduct streams. End-
C.1. Dissolution products of stage 2 are as follows:
Dissolution of the metallic mixture is crucial because the  Byproduct liquid stream which contains the non-target
subsequent processing steps are largely dependent on the non-ferromagnetic metals dissolved in sulfuric acid.
reagents or methods that will be implemented for dissolution.  Nonmetallic residue stream resulting after dissolution.
In this study, the non-ferromagnetic metallic streams are to be  Byproduct liquid stream of spent aqua regia.
dissolved and separated from the non-target metals using  Separated individual target solid metals (gold, silver,
sulfuric acid. Then copper, palladium, silver, and gold are to palladium, and copper) of high purity.
be dissolved all together from the non-ferromagnetic metallic
mixture using aqua regia.

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 International Conference on Chemical, Civil and Environment engineering (ICCEE'2012) March 24-25, 2012 Dubai

Fig. 1 Proposed proccess for recovery

y of target metalls

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 International Conference on Chemical, Civil and Environment engineering (ICCEE'2012) March 24-25, 2012 Dubai

III. MATERIAL BALANCE The streams of concern that contain the metallic bulk in
The material balance is shown in Tables V and VI. The Stage 1 are streams 10 and 16 which are combined together to
description of the material balance is based on the proposed form Stream 18 which is to be dissolved in sulfuric acid. Since
metal recovery process illustrated in Fig. 1. the amount of sulfuric acid needed to dissolve the non-target
metals was not found in literature, it was assumed to be
A. Stage 1 Material Balance equivalent to the ratio of aqua regia to metals which was found
For Stage 1, the PCB feed was assumed to have uniform to be about 20 ml of acid for every gram of metal dissolved
composition. The feed basis was selected as 1000 kg per day. [6]. Hence the amount of sulfuric acid that is required in
In order to follow the metal compositions after the corona Stream 19 is given by (6).
electrostatic separator, the average weight percent of the
metals in the outlet was calculated. The distribution of the ∗ ∗ (6)
different components in the PCB is as follows: 6% metals,
72% non-metals, 6% ferromagnetic metals and 22% non- Where is the amount of acid volume needed to dissolve
ferromagnetic metals. The assumptions that were made about 1kg of non-target metals.
the efficiency and dust formation in the equipment are: Also, to reduce the margin of error, 1% copper has been
 Dust Formation: The shredder and crusher 1 were assumed to dissolve in sulfuric acid due to the presence of
assumed to produce 0.1% dust oxygen [18]. Moreover, PCBs contain highly non-reactive
 Efficiency: The two magnetic separators were assumed to metals other than the metals of interest, such as platinum,
work at an efficiency of 98% which will not dissolve in sulfuric acid. These metals form
In order to operate the Falcon concentrator, the necessary approximately 2% of the undesired metallic bulk.
water supply was calculated using (1):
B.2. Dissolution of Target Metals
The outlet stream from the reactor that dissolved the non-
∗ (1) desired metals (Stream 21) contains all the metals of interest
and is then sent to treat with the second reagent which is aqua
regia. In this reactor, 97%, 98%, 93% and 100% of gold,
Where cfs is the mass concentration of the solids required in silver, palladium and copper respectively were found to
the Falcon concentrator feed and ρw is the density of water. dissolve with the ratio of 20 ml of acid for every gram of
Assuming streams 16 and 17 are totally dried, the mass flow metal [6].
rates of metals and non-metals are calculated using (2) and (3). The residue from this reactor (Stream 23) would contain
slurry of non-metals which have been left over from Stage 1
∗ 85 % (2) and also insoluble salts which were assumed to be zero.
B.3. Electrolysis Reduction
∗ 1 80 % (3)
Stream 24, which contains the metals of interest, then goes
Furthermore, the corona electrostatic separator will split the through the electrolysis reduction stage. Since the metals of
interest are gold, silver palladium and copper, four different
streams into metals, nonmetals, and middlings. The efficiency
electrolytic cells are needed to carry out cathodic reduction for
of this separation was taken as 90%. Since a minor percentage
each of these metals. Since copper has the highest flow rate, it
of the metal stream will be present in the nonmetal stream, this will be removed first. Following this, the sequence was
was taken as 5%. The same can be said for nonmetals in the decided based on ease of separation depending on the
metal stream. For Stream 7, which predominantly consists of principle of reactivity where gold is the least reactive and will
nonmetals, (4) and (5) were used to determine the metal flow therefore be the easiest to deposit, followed by palladium, and
rate. then silver. Stream 24 passes through the first cell, which has
been designed to extract the copper, and most of copper is
∗ (4) removed into Stream 25.
The remaining solution (Stream 26) is then sent to the next
Where xmn is the percentage of metals in the nonmetal stream. cell which has been designed to reduce gold. Gold is deposited
Similarly, for Stream 8, the metal flow rate is based on the on the electrodes, is removed as Stream 27. Similar processes
separation efficiency: would be followed for palladium and silver as shown in Fig. 1.
Finally, streams 25, 27, 29 and 31 are the streams of the target
∗ (5) metal which have been recovered. The final resulting liquid
byproduct (Stream 32) will consist mainly of the unreacted
Where ηs is the separation efficiency of corona electrostatic excess acid and small amounts of unreacted metals.
separator. Regeneration and recycling possibility of this stream needs to
be investigated. It is important to note that steams 25, 27, 29
and 31 are cathodic depositions of the respective metals and
B. Stage 2 Material Balance are to be removed in batches.
B.1. Dissolution of the Non-Target Metals

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 International Conference on Chemical, Civil and Environment engineering (ICCEE'2012) March 24-25, 2012 Dubai

IV. ENERGY BALANCE Where:

A: atomic mass of the species
A. Stage 1 Energy Balance
3600: conversion factor between hours and seconds
The description of equipment in Stage 1 and their CE: current efficiency, the ratio of actual extent of reaction
corresponding energy consumption are listed in Table III. The to the theoretical one
data has been obtained from vendors and literature.

TABLE III
Estimates were made in using (7), (8), and (9), which are:
POWER CONSUMPTION/UTILITY COSTS IN STAGE 1 1. VI = E (standard potential).
Equipment
Description Power Cost 2. Assume activities equal to concentration in mol/L.
(KWh) (AED/hr)
SHREDTECH ST-75E
3. As a safety factor for a conservative estimate, take a
2-Shaft Shredder 100 43 low CE=0.1 (10% current efficiency) to account for the
EUROPEAN previous estimates.
Crusher 1 HAMMER MILL 65 27.95
EHM4008-75 (KEFID) For each cell, only the concentration of the metal which it is
TRAPEZIUM MILL
Crusher 2 TGM100 (KEFID) 100 43 designed to extract was calculated. Mass of the metal and
Corona Single Roll Type solution was taken from the mass balance and the density was
Electrostatic 0.2 0.086 assumed to be the density of the acid solvent because it makes
Separator [13] up the major part of the solution (>97 wt%). Table IV shows
Magnetic -
0.02 0.0086 the energy requirement of electrolysis.
Separator [19]

Falcon SB40 Model L40 TABLE IV

0.4 0.172 ELECTROLYSIS DATA
Concentrator
EC 1 EC2 EC 3 EC 4
(Cu) (Au) (Pd) (Ag)
TOTAL 265.6 114.2
A
7.54E-4 5.18E-07 2.12E-07 3.82E-06
(ion activity)
z
2 3 4 1
(ionization state)
B. Stage 2 Energy Balance
E0 0.3419 1.498 1 0.7996
Equations (9), (10) and (11) govern the electrowinning of
E 0.2498 1.3741 0.9014 0.4793
metals and are used to obtain energy requirements for the
deposition of certain amounts of the metal [20]. VI 0.2498 1.3741 0.9014 0.4793

A 63.546 196.967 106.42 107.868

Nernst ∗ (7) CE
∗ ln 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Equation ∗ (in fraction)
Energy (kWh/kg) 2.11 5.61 9.08 1.19
Where: Total Energy (kWh/hr) 44.381 0.2449 0.0877 0.210
E: half-cell potential of the reaction in Volts
E0: standard half-cell potential at STP and molarity of 1
R: universal gas constant, 8.314 J/mol-K
V. CONCLUSION
z: number of moles of electrons transferred in the reaction
F: Faraday’s constant, 96,485 Coulombs/mol of electrons The recovery of precious metals can be achieved using the
a: chemical activity of the species proposed process, which has been divided into three main
stages. The first stage aims to achieve the maximum
separation of metals from nonmetals in order to eliminate the
VI = (Ea+Ec)+ηa+ηc+(IR)electrolyte+(IR)contacts (8) bulk of nonmetals in further processing. The second stage
involves the dissolution of metals followed by selective
Where: extraction of metals through reduction in EMEW cells. The
VI: applied potential needed for electrolysis, in Volts third stage includes treatment of the waste streams which
Ea & Ec: half cell-potentials (in reduction form) of the anodic contain aqua regia, sulfuric acid, heavy metals and organic
and cathodic reactions, obtained from Eq. 1, in Volts slurry. With this process gold, silver, palladium and copper
ηa & ηc: over-potentials at the anode and cathode, in Volts with high purity can be recovered from waste PCBs that are
(IR)electrolyte & (IR)contacts: potentials required to overcome the obtained from personal computers and mobile phones.
resistance of electrolytes in solution and the electrical Calculations using the data obtained from current statistics
contacts of the cell showed that 0.044 kg of gold, 0.18 kg of silver, 0.010 kg of
palladium and 21 kg of copper can be recovered from 125 kg
∗ of PCBs.
(9)
∗ ∗ Possible challenges that have been recognized include:
• Lack of reliable statistics in UAE and the region

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• Special equipments are needed for PCB processing [20] S. R. Rao. (2006). Resource Recovery and Recycling from Metallurgical
Wastes. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
• Lack of proper simulation software that can handle solid
processing
• EMEW technology is still relatively new
• Material of construction of Stage 2 should handle the
highly corrosive reagents
• Evolution of hydrogen which is highly flammable
To conclude, the goal of the study is an initiation of proper
e-waste management and resource recovery in the UAE and
the region that can boost the productivity of local economy.

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TABLE V
STAGE 1 MATERIAL BALANCE DATA SHEETS
Basis (Kg PCB/day) 1000 Feed (wt %) Dust Generation - Crusher 1 Corona Specifications Falcon Concentrator Specifications Magnetic Separator 1
Dust
Separation Efficiency Efficiency
Hours per shift 8 Metals 28 Equipment Released (wt 90 Metal Recovery (%) 85 98
(%) (%)
%)
Nonmetals in Metal
Shifts per day 1 Non metals 72 Shredder 0.1 5 Metal Grade of Product (%) 80
Outlet (%)
Metals in Nonmetal Nonmetal Grade of Product
Working hours 8 Ferrous 10 Crusher 1 0.1 5 20 Magnetic Separator 2
Outlet (%) (%)
Efficiency
(Kg PCB/Working hr) 125 Non ferrous 90 Feed Density (kg/m3) 30 98
(%)
Density of Water (kg/m3) 1000

Stream Flow Summary Table

Water Supply (kg/hr) 203.4

Feed Compositions Property Units 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 14 15 16 17
82.58
In PCB feed Mass kg/hr 125 0.125 0.125 124.750 6.238 35.928 6.677 29.251 6.238 0.3858  6.1016  1.459 4.64
(wt %) Total Flow 5
Flow
Gold 0.039 Metal kg/hr 35 0.035 0.035 34.930 1.747 1.747 31.437 6.677 24.760 1.747 0.3858  1.4307  1.216 0.215
Rate
80.83
Silver 0.156 Non-metal kg/hr 90 0.090 0.090 89.820 4.491 4.491 0.000 4.491 4.491 0  4.6709  0.243 4.428
8
Palladium 0.009
Copper 18.448 Gold kg/hr 0.049 4.88E-05 4.87E-05 0.049 0.002 0.002 0.044 0.001 0.043 0.002 5.0602E‐05  0.0025  0.002 0.000
Iron 5.15 Element Silver kg/hr 0.195 1.95E-04 1.95E-04 0.195 0.010 0.010 0.175 0.004 0.172 0.010 0.0002  0.0099  0.008 0.001
Mass
Nickel 0.918 Flow Palladium kg/hr 0.011 1.13E-05 1.12E-05 0.011 0.001 0.01 0.010 0.000 0.010 0.001 1.1677E‐05  0.0006  0 0
In Metal Stream (wt %) Copper kg/hr 23.060 0.023 0.023 23.014 1.151 1.151 20.713 0.414 20.298 1.151 0.0239  1.1729  0.997 0.176
Ferromagnetic 21.671
Non-ferromagnetic 78.329 0.0131  0.0406 
Total Target Metals 66.614 Target Metal kg/hr 23.315 0.023 0.023 23.268 1.163 1.163 20.942 0.419 20.523 1.163 0.0525  0.1625  1.008 0.178
Gold 0.139 Other Metals kg/hr 11.685 0.012 0.012 11.662 0.583 0.583 10.495 6.258 4.238 0.583 0.0030  0.0094  0.208 0.037
Silver 0.557
Palladium 0.032
Copper 65.886

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 International Conference on Chemical, Civil and Environment engineering (ICCEE'2012) March 24-25, 2012 Dubai

TABLE VI
STAGE 2 MATERIAL BALANCE DATA SHEETS

Solvents Density(kg/L) Liters added/kg of Metal dissolved Prices/metric ton Price Range Average Price(AED)/ton Efficiencies %
Aqua Regia 1.76 20 $350-420 Undesired Metal Separation 98
Nitric Acid 60% 947.875
Sulfuric Acid 1.8305 20 £85 Gold Dissolution 97

Hydrochloric Acid 36% $350 997.25 Silver Dissolution 98

Exchnage Rates £125 Palladium Dissolution 93
Dollars to Dirhams 3.67 $100-200 Copper Dissolution Aqua Regia 100
Sulfuric acid 98% 431.45
UK Pounds to Dirhams 5.68 £55 Copper Dissolution Sulfuric Acid 1
Gold Eletrolytic Reduction 100
Molar Flow
Cost of Reagents
Rates
(AED)/hr
(tons/hr) Silver Eletrolytic Reduction 100
Nitric Acid 0.1884 178.56 Palladium Eletrolytic Reduction 100
Hydrochloric Acid 0.5651 563.58 Copper Eletrolytic Reduction 100

Sulfuric Acid 0.1628 70.22

Stream Flow Summary Table

Property Units 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
Total Flow kg/hr 30.711 162.762 167.332 26.141 753.514 4.740 774.915 21.082 753.832 0.044 753.789 0.010 753.779 0.176 753.603
Precious Metal kg/hr 21.531 0 0.213 21.318 0 0.006 21.312 21.082 0.230 0.044 0.186 0.010 0.176 0.176 0
Mass Flow Other Metals kg/hr 4.446 0 4.357 0.089 0 0 0.089 0 0.089 0 0.089 0 0.089 0 0.089
Rate Aqua Regia kg/hr 0 0 0 0 753.514 0 753.514 0 753.514 0 753.514 0 753.514 0 753.514
Sulfuric Acid kg/hr 0 162.762 162.762 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Non-Metals kg/hr 4.734 0 0 4.734 0 4.734 0 0 0 0 0 0

Gold kg/hr 0.045 0 0 0.045 0 0.001 0.044 0 0.044 0.0437 0 0 0 0 0

Element Mass Silver kg/hr 0.180 0 0 0.180 0 0.004 0.176 0 0.176 0 0.176 0 0.176 0.176 0
Flow Palladium kg/hr 0.010 0 0 0.010 0 0.001 0.010 0 0.010 0 0.010 0.010 0.000 0 0
Copper kg/hr 21.295 0 0.213 21.082 0 0.000 21.082 21.082 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Average Gold % 0.147 0 0 0.172 0 0.028 0.006 0 0.006 100 0 0 0 0 0

Composition Silver % 0.586 0 0 0.689 0 0.076 0.023 0 0.023 0 0.023 0 0.023 100 0
of Target Palladium % 0.034 0 0 0.040 0 0.015 0.001 0 0.001 0 0.001 100 0 0 0
Metals Copper % 69.341 0 0.127 80.649 0 0.000 2.721 100.000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

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