IRETA

As part of the IRETA project, three technical recycling methods were investigated for recovering tantalum from electronic waste. First, the tantalum capacitors were removed from the circuit boards using optical detection and laser technology. After mechanical treatment of the capacitors, it was possible to separate the epoxy resin from the tantalum-containing anodes. The following three different processes were compared for the subsequent refining of the tantalum.

• Leaching
• Refining electrolysis
• Chemical Transport

All three processes enable tantalum to be purified to a maximum of 98%. Refining electrolysis in particular shows great potential for increasing purity while simultaneously recovering other potential “impurities” such as silver and copper.