The present work investigated the influence of ferrous iron supplementation on bioleaching to recover copper from printed circuit boards using Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans-LR bacteria. Printed wiring boards from obsolete computers were mechanically processed through cominution followed by magnetic separation. The Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans-LR bacteria were grown and adapted in the presence of printed wiring board samples. A shake flask study was carried out on the printed circuit board samples using a rotary shaker at 30ºC and 185 rpm. The analyzed parameters were: the pH of the medium, the initial ferrous iron concentration and the metal concentrations (ICP-OES). The results showed that the bacterial adaptation process enhanced the copper extraction rate. The bioleaching with adapted Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans-LR leached out 56% of the copper from printed circuit boards (non-magnetic fraction) with the medium being supplemented by ferrous iron after 30 days.
Bioleaching; printed wiring boards; recycling; Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans; shake flasks
