Evaluation of e-waste processing through secondary copper smelting

This presentation will report the processing of e-waste and extraction of the valuable metals through secondary copper smelting route (black copper smelting), as shown in Figure 1. The rationale for choosing the selected route will be explained. The approach taken in the study includes combined thermodynamic and process flowsheet modelling followed by economic as well as environmental impact assessments. The results of the study confirm the need for further study on the behaviour of various elements for the modelling for improvement of the process. The result from the economic study also showed that the selected process route is economically viable. The largest impact was found to be from the variation of the raw material cost, followed by the interest rate on borrowing capital. It was found that the minimum plant capacity for the process to be still economically viable is predicted to be 30,000 tonnes/annum.