Extraction experiment

[worker0]

Hi,

I recently got about 10 KG of cellphone bateries for recycling. Lithium ion baterries have copper strip inside.
I was wondering can i use CuCL2 to recever it? 10% HCL cost me about 0.5$

I recently attemp to recover copper from tiny ethernet cable wires, and some rotor winding but it did not go very well. It was slow and needed about 2 days to change color from transšarent to slightly green. Attemp was with:
36% HCL - 0,5L
3% H2O2 - 100ml
Air bubbler

I cut cabbles as much as possible small.

Where I made mistake?
And is it worth to recycle that batteries?

 

[jimdoc]

You should look for someone to buy what you have as is.
Sometimes it just isn't worth it, time, chemicals, waste...................

 

[anachronism]

You should look for someone to buy what you have as is.

Absolutely.

 

[worker0]

Nobody wants cables as is.Burning is no option because toxic gases, polution, and copper oxidation when burn. They became black and it is frag ile. So no. What?

One company in EU buy all kind of boards for 0.05 EUR / Kg
I think that they recover copper from it. Totaly depopiulated boards.

Is is possible with electrolysis or CuCL2 (for booth questions )
I have 500W PSU with 3.3 5 and 12 Volt output.

 

[g_axelsson]

Look a bit harder for a recycler that will buy the cables and depopulated boards. There are more than one place out there who will buy them.

In my town there are at least two companies that will buy both depopulated boards together with my brown boards (0.4 euro per kilo before the pandemic) as well as ethernet cables. ... and I live in EU.

Göran

 

[worker0]

From depopulated boards they extract copper?

I will try again but with more time, wiresfrom rotor windings did not dissolve because there is plastic coating on them.

Again but now: 3% H2O2 - 100ML and 3L of 10% HCL with bubbler. I will drop copper with aluminum or steel.

Copperplate steel and sell as copper. ( joke )

 

[Lino1406]

Not recommended opening lithium ion batteries, may contain free Li through over charging. Anyhow make sure they are fully discharged by immersing long time in alkaline water. The copper and nickel meshes/foils are of small weight (finally not worth the trouble).

 

[worker0]

I know i submerge them in water and pinch small hole on every. Even with this I started fire in trashcan. One strip reacted with another. On batteries is nice gold plated connector piece.