Recovery of copper from electronic waste: An energy transition approach to decarbonise the industry

Torrubia, Jorge (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Parvez, Ashak Mahmud ; Sajjad, Mohsin ; García Paz, Felipe Alejandro ; van den Boogaart, Karl Gerald

Resumen: Copper is essential for a decarbonised economy, yet its production remains heavily dependent on primary extraction processes which still rely on fossil fuels. Thus, there is growing interest in recovering copper from secondary sources, such as waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Moreover, the potential for utilising renewable resources in copper recycling remains unexplored. Therefore, this study applied FactSage and HSC Chemistry software to model and simulate the pyrometallurgical route for copper recovery from copper scrap and waste printed circuit boards (WPCB). OpenLCA was employed for a life cycle assessment (LCA) of three scenarios: (i) conventional, (ii) green hydrogen, and (iii) hydrogen produced using grid electricity. The results showed that the carbon footprint of copper production was reduced by 71–96% in the conventional scenario (0.3–0.5 kg-CO2-eq./kg-Cu) and by 93–97% in the green hydrogen scenario (0.1–0.2 kg-CO2-eq./kg-Cu) compared to primary production. However, the use of hydrogen produced with grid electricity resulted in a significant increase in the carbon footprint, even exceeding the conventional scenario. Therefore, the integration of renewable energy sources is crucial for achieving low-emission secondary copper production, contributing to a cleaner metal supply for the energy transition.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.144349

Año: 2024

Publicado en: Journal of Cleaner Production 485 (2024), 144349 [11 pp.]
ISSN: 0959-6526

Factor impacto JCR: 10.0 (2024)

Categ. JCR: ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL rank: 9 / 83 = 0.108 (2024) - Q1 - T1
Categ. JCR: GREEN & SUSTAINABLE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY rank: 12 / 103 = 0.117 (2024) - Q1 - T1
Categ. JCR: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES rank: 23 / 376 = 0.061 (2024) - Q1 - T1

Factor impacto CITESCORE: 20.7 - Strategy and Management (Q1) - Environmental Science (all) (Q1) - Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment (Q1) - Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (Q1)

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 2.174 - Environmental Science (miscellaneous) (Q1) - Strategy and Management (Q1) - Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment (Q1) - Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (Q1)

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/HORIZON EUROPE/101091668/EU/Aragon's REgional Hub for circularity: Demonstration Of Local industrial-urban symbiosis initiatives/REDOL
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN-RESTORE PID2023-148401OB-I00

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Máquinas y Motores Térmi. (Dpto. Ingeniería Mecánica)