The worldwide demand for viable sources of tellurium (Te) continues to grow, especially in emerging electronics industries dominated by CdTe photovoltaic cells. However, due to the low production as a by-product of metallurgical process and the extremely low natural reserves, the insufficient supply of Te is an inevitable problem. Thus, developing the feasible and effective production and recovery techniques of Te, and exploring available Te sources to meet the growing global demand are imperative. This review starts from the production and application of Te and the consequent containing-tellurium product waste, and then emphasizes the recovery technologies of Te from metallurgical intermediates and electronic waste. The existing and promising technologies were deeply discussed and analyzed, such as traditional hydrometallurgy (including leaching, precipitation and electrochemistry), potential adsorption method, bioreduction, and refining process. The analysis and detection of tellurium combined with separation and enrichment techniques for further determining the chemical species or purity of Te were presented. Finally, the main conclusion of this review was summarized, and the challenges and further prospects for practical application were briefly proposed. This review aims to provide a global perspective for the recovery of Te and to present some thoughts on potential strategies and technologies.
从冶金中间体和电子垃圾中生产和回收碲——综合评述,Journal of Cleaner Production
