ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a broad survey of the potentially applicable separation processes for a wide spectrum of nonferrous metals. The principal emphasis is on hydrometallurgical processes, especially in view of the energy savings advantages of low-temperature processing, the physical character of the waste streams, and the potential for the most favorable economics. However, consideration is also given to pyrometallurgical and biological processes when relevant to the principal emphasis on hydrometallurgy. There are several published reviews of technologies which are applicable to metal finishing industry wastes, electro-plating industrial practice, water treatment, recycling and metal refining processes that provide considerable detail about many of these separation-concentration processes. The separation processes applicable to solid wastes consist of biological separations, flotation, magnetic separations, pyrometallurgy and solvent partition. The concentration on copper and nickel was influenced by the large volumes of these metals in commercial use and the prospects for providing recovered volumes sufficiently large as to provide favorable economics.
