Separation of Copper from Acidic Etching Solutions

Abstract

This study deals with the issue of copper separation from acidic etching solutions formed during the process of production of printed circuit boards (PCBs) for the electrical and electronic industries. The article describes the selected methods of copper separation and summarizes the results of an experiment, in which the efficiency of copper recovery from the depleted acid solutions by the cementation and precipitation method was verified. In the process of cementation, iron in the form of metallic swarf was used as a precipitant. To verify the efficiency of the precipitation method, CaCO3 limestone, Ca(OH)2 calcium hydroxide and NaOH solution were used. During the measurement, the amount of Cu in the solution was observed for both methods in dependence on time, temperature, and pH.

Keywords: Acid etching; Cementation; Copper; Precipitation; Printed circuit boards (PCB).