Green Zero-Waste Metal Extraction and Recycling from Printed Circuit Boards

Abstract

The development of a truly circular economy necessitates the recovery and recycling of resources from secondary streams. In this work, we studied the extraction of metals from printed circuit boards (PCBs) using choline chloride: ethylene glycol deep eutectic solvents: Cu, Ni, Zn, and Sn were selectively extracted from the PCBs, with >75% extraction after 72 h for Cu, Ni, and Sn, and circa. 45% extraction for Zn. This solvometallurgical approach promises to minimize the use of water and acid/base reagents in processing. The results show a considerable ability to compete with current methods of metal extraction and therefore generate a strong potential to attain the goal of a sustainable circular economy via zero-waste green urban mining.