Selective leaching of rare earths, base metals and precious metals from used smartphones

Discarded smartphones represent a valuable source of rare earths (REE), base metals and precious metals. This study focussed on the optimisation of three-stage selective leaching conditions for REE, copper and precious metals (Au and Ag), respectively, contained in printed circuit boards (PCBs) found in end-of-life smartphones. The effects of several leaching conditions, such as sulphuric acid and thiourea concentrations, were investigated using a statistical approach based on a design of experiments using Box-Behnken methodology. Optimum leaching efficiencies were achieved when PCB powder was contacted (solid concentration of 100 g/L) with (1) a 0.2 M H