Recovery of Au and Cu from waste memory modules by electrolysis with hydrochloric acid-hydrogen peroxide system

•An environmental protection technique based on electrochemical methods and response surface methodology was developed.•It firstly confirms that HCl + H2O2 + DC system can efficiently leach Au and Cu from WMMs.•Increasing the voltage, temperature and HCl concentration within a certain range can improve the leaching rate of Au and Cu.•Controlling model of Au leaching reaction was determined.•Under the optimal conditions, the leaching rates of Au and Cu were 98.87% and 92.10%, respectively.