The effect of particle geometry (size & shape) on the recovery of gold and copper metallic particles from end-of-life random access memory cards by flotation

Keleş B., İlkyaz Dinç N., Nur Dursun H., Burat F., Ulusoy U.

Waste Management, cilt.179, ss.66-76, 2024 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 179
  • Basım Tarihi: 2024
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.wasman.2024.03.008
  • Dergi Adı: Waste Management
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, PASCAL, Aerospace Database, Applied Science & Technology Source, BIOSIS, Biotechnology Research Abstracts, CAB Abstracts, Communication Abstracts, Compendex, Environment Index, Food Science & Technology Abstracts, Geobase, INSPEC, MEDLINE, Metadex, Pollution Abstracts, Veterinary Science Database, DIALNET, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.66-76
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Characterization, EoL RAMs, Flotation, Particle size and shape, Recycling, Sustainability
  • Sivas Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Since Random Access Memory (RAM), one of the main parts of computers contains a remarkable quantity of precious metals, applying flotation at the pre-concentration stage to recycle these metals can result in a more cost-effective, user-friendly, and environmentally friendly process compared to direct chemical methods. While the significance of physical characteristics like particle size and shape in the flotation process is well established, the impact of particle shape in the flotation process utilized in the recycling of end-of-life (EoL) RAMs hasn't yet been thoroughly investigated. To fill this gap, a two-stage coarse flotation approach is used for the selective recovery of plastic and valuable metallic particles for sustainable development. The particle geometry of metallic particles recovered by flotation was characterized by axis measurement on the images by optical microscope that allows us to distinguish particles of different sizes and colors that make up the sample and evaluated in terms of particle size distribution (PSD), elongation (E) and roundness (R) parameters. The results showed that after the plastic fraction is effectively removed, it is possible to produce pre-concentrated products with high metal content (more than 50 % Cu content at the 1st stage and 1800 g/t Au content at the 2nd stage using 900 g/t KAX) in an economical and environmentally friendly way. Thus, it was concluded that the gold and copper metallic particles in the reduced-size EoL RAM cards could be easily floated by attaching them to the air bubble with the help of the collector, thanks to their flat shape.