Modeling of a Batch bioreactor to bioleach waste electrical and electronic equipment in Guayaquil, Ecuador

The use of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) has increased considerably worldwide, generating large amounts of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) of which only 17% is treated. The processing and extraction of metals from printed circuit boards (PCBs) of WEEE is done by a combination of physical and chemical methods, which become highly polluting. There-fore, it is necessary to formulate new eco-friendly strategies to prevent the impact of environmental pollution. The present research proposes to design a Batch bioreactor for the recovery of Cu from WEEE. For this purpose, equations of the modeling of a Batch bioreactor were coupled with real parameters and values taken from the city of Guayaquil and then designed using these values in the AutoCAD design software. A bioreactor was obtained with an optimal agitation considering 8 flat blades for mixing, also the appropriate material is stainless steel, and the optimum working temperature is 28 degrees C. Applying these parameters, a Cu recovery of 96% is obtained in the city of Guayaquil.

Automated summary

The use of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) has led to a significant increase in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) worldwide, but only 17% of it is being treated. The conventional methods for processing and extracting metals from printed circuit boards (PCBs) in WEEE are highly polluting. Therefore, a new eco-friendly strategy is proposed in this research to recover Cu from WEEE using a batch bioreactor.