Recovery of copper was attempted from municipal waste incineration ashes using acid extraction and electrodeposition by a flow-through type electrolysis cell (FE). Efficient extraction of copper from the incineration ash was obtained using 0.5 mol L-1 sulfuric acid, i.e., copper extraction rate: 78% from bottom ash and 88% from fly ash. The copper in the 10-fold diluted extractant injected into the FE was quantitatively adsorbed by applying -0.4 V and was quantitatively desorbed by eluting with nitric acid.
Keywords: Copper; electrolysis; extraction; incineration ash.