An Investigation on Copper Powder Production from Aqueous Solution by Reductive Precipitation with Sugar Beet Molasses in an Autoclave

Aim: In this study, copper recovery from aqueous solutions by precipitation with sugar beet molasses, an industrial by-product, in the high temperature-pressure reactor was investigated. Method: Copper recovery experiments from hypothetical copper sulphate solutions (150 ml of 10 g Cu2+/L) were designed by RSM (Response Surface Methodology) using CCD route (Central Composite Design) to observe the effect of the parameters such as temperature (62.5-212.5°C), reaction time (30-90 min), stirring speed (75-325 rpm) and molasses amount (0.5-2.5 g). Observation: The response parameter for these experiments was selected as an amount of copper precipitated (%). Result: The results of the experiments showed that the maximum copper recovery are obtained as 93.50 % under the conditions of 212.5°C of temperature, reaction time of 60 min, stirring speed of 300 rpm and molasses amount of 1.5 g. Conclusion: Also, model equation derived from the experimental results showed that the copper recovery amount depending on the parameters can be described by a linear model equation.