Hydrometallurgical Processes for the Recovery of Metals from WEEE

Book chapter, 2016

Pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy are two routes usually implemented to recover valuable metals from primary and secondary resources. In recent years, the metallurgical industry has been searching for hydrometallurgical processes as an alternative to pyrometallurgical treatments due to some inherent advantages associated with hydrometallurgy, such as the possibility of treating low-grade resources, easier control of wastes, and lower energy consumption. This chapter will give an overview of the hydrometallurgical processes developed to recover metals from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), including leaching, precipitation, solvent extraction, and resin ion exchange.