SYNTHESIS OF COPPER (I) OXIDE FROM ELECTRONIC WASTE

Abstract

In this paper, copper (I) oxide (Cu₂O) were successfully synthesized using copper (II) sulfate (CuSO₄), glucose and sodium hydroxide (NaOH). CuSO₄ solution is separated from electronic waste by pyrometallurgical process combined with hydrometallurgical process. The obtained materials were studied the methods of synthesis and the influence of pH showed that slowly adding CuSO₄ solution to the solution including NaOH and glucose and pH = 12 obtained Cu₂O with nanostructure. Through analyzing the structural characteristics by XRD and SEM methods, it was found that the synthesized Cu₂O material has a crystal size calculated by XRD method of 8.75 nm, lattice constant of 0.43 nm, the strain of 0.004; The number of dislocations presenting in the unit area of 0.013. The Cu₂O particles formed are relatively uniform, the particle size is about 50 nm. Synthesized Cu₂O nanomaterials both solve the problem of e-waste pollution and open up a source of raw materials for synthesizing nanomaterials.