Hydrometallurgical recovery of tin and lead from waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs): limitations and opportunities

In this paper, possibility for selective Pb and Sn recovery, using three different solutions of NaOH, HCl and HNO3, from WPCBs containing low concentrations of Pb and Sn is presented. According to obtained results, over 98 % of Pb can be leached using 2 M HNO3 solution at 80 °C and over 90 % of Sn using 2 M HCl solution at 80 °C, independently. However, more comprehensive analysis of obtained results indicated adverse interactions between said leaching agents, creating doubts if such leaching and recovery step could be incorporated in an integral hydrometallurgical route for selective base and precious metals recovery from WPCBs