Abstract
The aim of the present study was to determine the most feasible experimental conditions for the dissolution of base metals (Cu,
Ni, Zn, Pb, etc.) from waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) obtained from WMP. The leaching of WPCB samples was
performed with FeCl3 in HCl solution which allowed the separation of a precious metal rich solid residue and a high base metal
concentration solution adequate for base metal recovery. The most favorable conditions for the leaching process were identified
on the basis of the defined technical key performance indicators at different HCl (0.1 M-0.3 M) and FeCl3 (0.2 M-0.4 M)
concentrations. The highest performances for the dissolution process were obtained at 0.2 M HCl and 0.3 M FeCl3, in a 4 h
period, while at a longer leaching period (24 h) at 0.3 M HCl and 0.3 M FeCl.