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A process for extracting precious metals from spent printed circuit boards and automobile catalysts

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  • Pyrometallurgy Fundamentals
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Abstract

In this work, a novel process to simultaneously extract precious metals such as gold, palladium, and platinum from spent printed circuit boards (PCBs) and honeycomb-type auto catalysts by smelting without the addition of any collector metals has been developed. The process uses metal components such as copper, tin, and iron contained in spent PCBs as the collector metal and spent auto catalysts as a slag formative. In each experiment, spent PCBs and auto catalysts were crushed, incinerated, and melted after adding fluxes and carbon. Up to 90% of the gold, palladium, and platinum in the raw materials were extracted in a Cu-Sn alloy phase.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Minerals & Materials Processing Division of the Korea Institute of Geoscience & Mineral Resources, Daejeon, Korea

    Byung-Su Kim (senior researcher) & Jae-chun Lee (principal researcher and director)

  2. the Department of Metallurgical Engineering, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Korea

    Seung-Pil Seo (graduate student) & Young-Koo Park (professor)

  3. the Department of Metallurgical Engineering, the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah

    Hong Yong Sohn (professor)

Authors
  1. Byung-Su Kim
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  2. Jae-chun Lee
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  3. Seung-Pil Seo
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  4. Young-Koo Park
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  5. Hong Yong Sohn
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Additional information

For more information, contact Jae-chun Lee, Korea Institute of Geoscience & Mineral Resources, Minerals & Materials Processing Division, 30 Gajeong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-350, Korea; 82-42-868-3020; fax 82-42-861-9727; e-mail jclee@kigam.re.kr.

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Kim, BS., Lee, Jc., Seo, SP. et al. A process for extracting precious metals from spent printed circuit boards and automobile catalysts. JOM 56, 55–58 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-004-0237-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-004-0237-9

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