Recovery of Copper from Sludge of Copper Electro-Plating Plant

동전해도금공장 Sludge로부터 동의 회수

The metallic copper was recovered from sludge of the copper electro-plating plant by pyrometallurgical process. The reducing agent was Pyrolysized from waste tires and the flux was a mixture $Na_2CO_3$, $NaB_4O_7$, and glass. The green sludge contained 87.5% moisture and 12.5% solid with 56.5% Cu and 1.59% Fe. The sludge dried at $100^{\circ}C$ was analyized to be $Cu_4SO_4(OH)_6{\cdot}2H_2O$ and CuO by XRD analysis. The former was 84% and the latter 16%, However, the calcined sludge at $500^{\circ}C$ was 49% $Cu_2O(SO_4)$ and 51% CuO. The sludge could by smelted at $1100^{\circ}C$ for two hours with 6 to 8 moles carbon with respect to copper to produce metallic copper (>90%) with recovery of 9% above.