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-----Selective dissolution of copper
I am trying to recover copper from a component which also has a lot of steel embedded. Tried the conventional copper sulphate ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] bath, but the copper seems to be passivating, preventing any dissolution and deposition at cathode. I used the composite (copper-steel) as anode and copper sheets as cathode. Any suggestions?
Palaniappa MResearcher - Hyderabad, AP, India
September 3, 2010
You may want to try an ammonium carbonate leaching solution. This will dissolve the copper, but not the steel.
It is a slow process, but it works.
On initial make-up, you may need to add some copper sulphate to get the stripping activity started.
Lyle Kirman
consultant - Cleveland Heights, Ohio
September 7, 2010
Thanx Lyle Kirman. The problem I am facing is, there is a stock of about 1.5Tonnnes of material with ~1:1 Cu:Fe. I am keen in recovering metals from this composite. Thus I would be interested in some electrochemical process, where one of the metal can be deposited on the cathode and other can be recovered as leftover. Any suggestions/solutions will be appreciated.
Thanks
- Hyderabad, AP, India
September 9, 2010
Remember that your electrolyte has a saturation point. Also, dissolution of iron produces a lot of hydrogen. You need to frequently add more acid and remove dissolved metal.
G. Marrufo-Mexico
Monterrey, NL, Mexico
September 12, 2010
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