Morphology, Phase and Chemical Analysis of Leachate after Bioleaching Metals from Printed Circuit Boards

The article presents the assessment of solutions and dried residues precipitated from solutions after the bioleaching process of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) utilizing the <i>Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans</i>. The obtained dried residues precipitated from bioleaching solution (leachate)...

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Main Authors: Kamila Hyra, Paweł M. Nuckowski, Joanna Willner, Tomasz Suponik, Dawid Franke, Mirosława Pawlyta, Krzysztof Matus, Waldemar Kwaśny
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-06-01
Series:Materials
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/13/4373
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author Kamila Hyra
Paweł M. Nuckowski
Joanna Willner
Tomasz Suponik
Dawid Franke
Mirosława Pawlyta
Krzysztof Matus
Waldemar Kwaśny
author_facet Kamila Hyra
Paweł M. Nuckowski
Joanna Willner
Tomasz Suponik
Dawid Franke
Mirosława Pawlyta
Krzysztof Matus
Waldemar Kwaśny
author_sort Kamila Hyra
collection DOAJ
description The article presents the assessment of solutions and dried residues precipitated from solutions after the bioleaching process of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) utilizing the <i>Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans</i>. The obtained dried residues precipitated from bioleaching solution (leachate) and control solution were tested using morphology, phase, and chemical composition analysis, with particular emphasis on the assessment of crystalline and amorphous components. The analysis of the dried residues from leachate after bioleaching as well as those from the sterile control solution demonstrated a difference in the component oxidation—the leachate consisted of mainly amorphous spherical particles in diameter up to 200 nm, forming lacy aggregates. In the specimenform control solution larger particles (up to 500 nm) were observed with a hollow in the middle and crystalline outer part (probably Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, CuFeS<sub>2</sub>, and Cu<sub>2</sub>O). The X-ray diffraction phase analysis revealed that specimen obtained from leachate after bioleaching consisted mainly of an amorphous component and some content of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> crystalline phase, while the dried residue from control solution showed more crystalline components. The share of the crystalline and amorphous components can be related to efficiency in dissolving metals during bioleaching. Obtained results of the investigation confirm the activity and participation of the <i>A. ferrooxidans</i> bacteria in the solubilization process of electro-waste components, with their visible degradation–acceleration of the reaction owing to a continuous regeneration of the leaching medium. The performed investigations allowed to characterize the specimen from leachate and showed that the application of complementary cross-check of the micro (SEM and S/TEM) and macro (ICP-OES and XRD) methods are of immense use for complete guidance assessment and obtained valuable data for the next stages of PCBs recycling.
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spelling doaj.art-e7658f54c00a43eb8c03180b0250ea282023-12-03T14:09:19ZengMDPI AGMaterials1996-19442022-06-011513437310.3390/ma15134373Morphology, Phase and Chemical Analysis of Leachate after Bioleaching Metals from Printed Circuit BoardsKamila Hyra0Paweł M. Nuckowski1Joanna Willner2Tomasz Suponik3Dawid Franke4Mirosława Pawlyta5Krzysztof Matus6Waldemar Kwaśny7Department of Engineering Materials and Biomaterials, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, 18A Konarskiego Street, 44-100 Gliwice, PolandMaterials Research Laboratory, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, 18A Konarskiego Street, 44-100 Gliwice, PolandDepartment of Metallurgy and Recycling, Faculty of Materials Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, 8 Krasińskiego Street, 40-019 Katowice, PolandDepartment of Geoengineering and Raw Materials Extraction, Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering and Industrial Automation, Silesian University of Technology, 2 Akademicka Street, 44-100 Gliwice, PolandDepartment of Geoengineering and Raw Materials Extraction, Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering and Industrial Automation, Silesian University of Technology, 2 Akademicka Street, 44-100 Gliwice, PolandMaterials Research Laboratory, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, 18A Konarskiego Street, 44-100 Gliwice, PolandMaterials Research Laboratory, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, 18A Konarskiego Street, 44-100 Gliwice, PolandDepartment of Welding, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, 18A Konarskiego Street, 44-100 Gliwice, PolandThe article presents the assessment of solutions and dried residues precipitated from solutions after the bioleaching process of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) utilizing the <i>Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans</i>. The obtained dried residues precipitated from bioleaching solution (leachate) and control solution were tested using morphology, phase, and chemical composition analysis, with particular emphasis on the assessment of crystalline and amorphous components. The analysis of the dried residues from leachate after bioleaching as well as those from the sterile control solution demonstrated a difference in the component oxidation—the leachate consisted of mainly amorphous spherical particles in diameter up to 200 nm, forming lacy aggregates. In the specimenform control solution larger particles (up to 500 nm) were observed with a hollow in the middle and crystalline outer part (probably Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, CuFeS<sub>2</sub>, and Cu<sub>2</sub>O). The X-ray diffraction phase analysis revealed that specimen obtained from leachate after bioleaching consisted mainly of an amorphous component and some content of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> crystalline phase, while the dried residue from control solution showed more crystalline components. The share of the crystalline and amorphous components can be related to efficiency in dissolving metals during bioleaching. Obtained results of the investigation confirm the activity and participation of the <i>A. ferrooxidans</i> bacteria in the solubilization process of electro-waste components, with their visible degradation–acceleration of the reaction owing to a continuous regeneration of the leaching medium. The performed investigations allowed to characterize the specimen from leachate and showed that the application of complementary cross-check of the micro (SEM and S/TEM) and macro (ICP-OES and XRD) methods are of immense use for complete guidance assessment and obtained valuable data for the next stages of PCBs recycling.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/13/4373metals recoveryrecyclingbioleachingscanning electron microscopy (SEM)high resolution transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM)X-ray diffraction (XRD)
spellingShingle Kamila Hyra
Paweł M. Nuckowski
Joanna Willner
Tomasz Suponik
Dawid Franke
Mirosława Pawlyta
Krzysztof Matus
Waldemar Kwaśny
Morphology, Phase and Chemical Analysis of Leachate after Bioleaching Metals from Printed Circuit Boards
Materials
metals recovery
recycling
bioleaching
scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
high resolution transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM)
X-ray diffraction (XRD)
title Morphology, Phase and Chemical Analysis of Leachate after Bioleaching Metals from Printed Circuit Boards
title_full Morphology, Phase and Chemical Analysis of Leachate after Bioleaching Metals from Printed Circuit Boards
title_fullStr Morphology, Phase and Chemical Analysis of Leachate after Bioleaching Metals from Printed Circuit Boards
title_full_unstemmed Morphology, Phase and Chemical Analysis of Leachate after Bioleaching Metals from Printed Circuit Boards
title_short Morphology, Phase and Chemical Analysis of Leachate after Bioleaching Metals from Printed Circuit Boards
title_sort morphology phase and chemical analysis of leachate after bioleaching metals from printed circuit boards
topic metals recovery
recycling
bioleaching
scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
high resolution transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM)
X-ray diffraction (XRD)
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/13/4373
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