Extraction of metals from electronic waste by bacterial leaching

Electronic waste is usually processed by means of classical methods, i.e. in pyroand hydrometallurgical processes. However, new solutions for more economically and ecologically efficient recovery of metals are constantly being searched for. Biohydrometallurgy can become a promising technology of recovering metals from industrial waste. Bioleaching – one of the methods applied in that technology – is the subject of particular interest of many scientific centres. The paper presents the results of laboratory tests of bacterial leaching of metals from electronic scrap. It describes the mechanisms of this process and the factors influencing the chemical reaction. The paper also presents preliminary results of experimental studies on the copper bioleaching from electronic waste with the participation of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans bacteria.