Modelización de un biorreactor discontinuo para lixiviar residuos eléctricos y electrónicos en 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. Therefore, 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°C. Applying these parameters, a Cu recovery of 96% is obtained in the city of Guayaquil.