Solar-driven photocatalytic reduction of copper(ii) to copper(i) and zerovalent copper (Cu(0)): a sustainable approach for solar recovery of copper on a pilot scale

This study demonstrates a sustainable pilot-scale recovery of metallic copper from Cu( ii ) using solar-driven photocatalysis with ZnO and POPD/ZnO photocatalysts. Achieving an 80% recovery rate, this process produces zerovalent copper and marks the 100% solar-recovered copper coin.