The copper recovery system for electrolysis of brown chemical waster liquid is an industrial equipment and process system specially designed for extracting and recovering metallic copper from the brownout waste liquid generated during printed circuit boards (PCB) manufacturing. The system utilizes electrolysis to recover resources and reduce environmental pollution by reducing copper ions in the waste liquid to high-purity metallic copper.
Copper Recovery System For Electrolysis of Brown Chemical Waste Liquid
Release time：09 September 2024Copper Recovery System For Electrolysis of Brown Chemical Waste Liquid
During the manufacturing process of printed circuit boards (PCBs), the surface of the copper foil layer needs to be browned to enhance the adhesion of subsequent laminates. The browning process typically uses copper-containing chemicals such as copper chloride or perchloric acid, which generates a large amount of copper-containing waste streams during the process. These waste streams contain copper ions and other chemicals that can be harmful to the environment if left untreated. As a result, the copper recovery system for electrolysis of brown chemical waster liquid was developed, whose main function is to extract copper from the waste solution to reduce pollution and recover valuable copper resources.
For brown chemical waste liquid, the traditional treatment method is to add chemical agents for precipitation, which has high operation costs and low added value. However, the general electrolysis method for brown chemical waste liquid, because brown chemical waste liquid contains a large number of corrosion inhibitors, easy to form a film, electrolysis is easy to form a film on the cathode surface, increases resistance, increases energy consumption, and prevents copper deposition on the cathode surface. In addition, a large number of copper ions exist in complexation form in the waste solution of brownization, which makes it unable to be electrolyzed directly.
Because of the difficult electrolytic characteristics of brown chemical liquid, our company has a new type of copper recovery and treatment system for brown chemical waste liquid, which can extract copper directly by electrolysis after preprocessing by pretreating brown chemical waste liquid.
Technical Features
- The purity of cathode copper obtained by electrolysis is higher than 96%.
- The exhaust gas tower is set to automatically add a control device, calibration, and maintenance of the induction probe at regular intervals, to prevent exhaust gas emissions.
- Storage containers are set with double high-level induction alarms to prevent solution leakage.
- The COD value of the stock solution can be reduced by more than 90%.
- The equipment covers a small area and the input cost is low.
Analysis Table for Disposal of Brown Chemical Waste Liquid
| Name | COD(mg/L) | H2O2(mg/L) | Cu2+(mg/L) |
| Waste Liquid Original Liquid | 16850 | 18.8 | 25.5 |
| Waste Liquid After Digestion | 22050 | 1.2 | 24.8 |
| Waste Liquid After Electrolysis | 830 | 0.0 | 2.2 |
Brown-out Waste Liquid Electrolytic Copper Recovery System Process
The process of the brownout waste liquid electrolytic copper recovery system can be divided into the following key steps:
1. Waste liquid collection
Source: During the manufacturing of printed circuit boards (PCBs), the brownout process generates waste liquids containing copper ions. These waste streams are brought together in a treatment system through piping or collection devices.
Characteristics: Waste liquids usually contain high concentrations of copper ions, acidic or alkaline chemicals, and other organic substances.
2. Pre-treatment of waste liquids
Adjustment of pH: To ensure that the electrolysis process runs smoothly, the pH of the waste liquid needs to be adjusted first. The pH of the waste solution is adjusted to a suitable range (usually weakly acidic or neutral) by adding acid or alkali.
Removal of impurities: Filtering or using chemical treatment removes suspended solids, gums, or other insoluble impurities from the waste solution to prevent them from interfering with the electrolysis process.
3. Electrolyzer Reaction
This is the core step of the system where copper ions in the waste stream are converted to metallic copper by electrolysis. The electrolyzer usually consists of the following parts:
Anode: At the anode of the electrolyzer (usually an inert electrode, such as graphite or titanium), copper ions remain dissolved, maintaining the concentration of copper ions in the electrolyte.
Cathode: At the cathode (usually made of stainless steel or other conductive metal), copper ions are deposited on the cathode plate to form copper metal through an electron reduction reaction (Cu²⁺ + 2e- → Cu).
Electrolyte circulation: The electrolyte is circulated in the electrolyzer to ensure that copper ions are continuously transferred from the waste stream to the cathode.
4. Copper Deposition and Recovery
Copper deposition: After a certain time of electrolysis, a layer of high-purity copper metal will be deposited on the cathode plate. During the electrolysis process, the current density and time are controlled to ensure uniform deposition of copper and to avoid excessive impurities being mixed into the copper layer.
Copper collection: The cathode plates are periodically removed from the electrolyzer and the deposited copper is stripped and collected either mechanically or manually. The collected copper is usually of high purity and can be used directly for smelting or as raw material for industry.
5. Waste liquid treatment and recycling
Waste liquid reuse: After electrolytic copper recycling, the concentration of copper ions in the waste liquid is greatly reduced. At this point the waste stream can be further treated, including purification or chemical conditioning, in order to be reused in the brownfield process, forming a closed-loop recycling.
Final Waste Solution Discharge Treatment: If the waste solution is not suitable for further use, it is subject to compliant wastewater treatment to ensure that the heavy metal content and concentration of chemicals in it meets environmental standards, and is then discharged.
6. System Monitoring and Maintenance
Electrolyzer Maintenance: Regularly clean the electrolyzer and check the electrode condition to ensure the electrolysis process is stable.
Online monitoring system: Monitoring the copper ion concentration in the electrolyte, current, voltage, and other parameters in the electrolyzer through sensors, adjusting the electrolysis conditions in real-time to optimize the efficiency of copper recovery.
Through this series of processes, the Brownout Waste Liquid Electrolytic Copper Recovery System realizes the recovery of copper ions from the waste liquid into high-purity metallic copper, while reducing the pollution of the waste liquid. Through pretreatment, optimization of electrolysis conditions, and recycling of the waste liquid, the system can be operated efficiently and environmentally friendly for PCB and other electronic manufacturing applications.
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