Bioleaching of gold and copper from waste mobile phone PCBs by using a cyanogenic bacterium

Chromobacterium violaceum (C. violaceum), a cyanide generating bacterium has been used to leach out gold and copper from the waste mobile phone printed circuit boards (PCBs) containing ∼34.5% Cu and 0.025% Au in YP (yeast extract and polypeptone with glycine) medium. The bioleaching was carried out in an incubator shaker (150 rpm) at 30 °C and 15 g/L pulp density in the pH range 8–11. Dissolution of gold and copper increased from 7.78% (0.225 ppm) to 10.8% (0.46 ppm) and 4.9% (419 ppm) to 11.4% (879 ppm) in 8 days with increase in pH from 8 to 11 and 8 to 10 respectively. Supplementing oxygen with 0.004% (v/v) H2O2 increased the copper leaching to 24.6% (1743 ppm) at pH 10 in 8 days whereas improvement in gold leaching was insignificant with the recovery of 11.31% Au at pH 11.0. The waste PCBs can thus be recycled in environmental friendly manner.

► Gold and copper can be bioleaching from waste mobile phone PCBs by Chromobacterium violaceum , a cyanogenic bacterium in the YP media at 30 °C.
► Addition of 0.004% H2O2 raised dissolved oxygen (DO) level in solution and metal bioleaching without affecting the bacterial cell significantly.
► Compared to increase in Cu bioleaching from 11.4- 24.6% at pH 10 in 8 days with 0.004% H2O2, Au leaching increased marginally (10.8- 11.31%) at pH 11.0.
► Gold bioleaching can be improved by decreasing the copper content in sample by preleaching or by segregating the gold concentration in PCBs.