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High-Purity Copper Recovery from Copper Sludge via Oxidative Refining Using a FeO-CaO-SiO2 Slag System
Eunmi Park1, Minji Kim2, Young-Min Kim2
1Incheon Technopark, Incheon 21999, Republic of Korea.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|September 13, 2025
Summary
This study developed an oxidative refining method using FeO-CaO-SiO2 slag to purify copper from electronic waste. The process effectively separates copper, offering a sustainable solution for recycling valuable metal resources.
Area of Science:
- Metallurgical Engineering
- Environmental Science
- Materials Science
Background:
- Electronic waste (e-waste) presents a growing environmental challenge.
- Copper-rich fractions in e-waste are valuable secondary resources.
- High-purity copper extraction is crucial for sustainable resource management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate an oxidative refining approach for purifying copper-bearing sludge from e-waste.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a FeO-CaO-SiO2 slag matrix in copper extraction.
- To determine optimal conditions for separating copper from impurities.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an oxidative refining process with a FeO-CaO-SiO2 slag matrix.
- Processed copper-bearing sludge to separate metallic and slag phases.
- Analyzed the removal efficiency of impurities (Fe, Si, Sn, S) at varying temperatures.
Main Results:
- Achieved stable slag generation and distinct phase separation.
- Effectively removed iron (Fe) and silicon (Si) at lower temperatures.
- Complete removal of tin (Sn) and sulfur (S) required processing at 1300 °C.
- Traces of copper oxides remained in the refined alloy.
Conclusions:
- The FeO-CaO-SiO2 slag system provides a viable method for producing high-purity copper from secondary sources.
- This approach supports sustainable recycling of copper-enriched e-waste.
- Further optimization may be needed to eliminate residual copper oxides.
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