{"title":"Recovery of Metals from E-waste: Facts, Methods, Challenges, Case Studies, and Sustainable Solutions","authors":"Sapana Jadoun*, Sampath Chinnam, Shagufta Jabin, Yachana Upadhyay, Nirmala Kumari Jangid and Jannatun Zia, ","doi":"10.1021/acs.estlett.4c0069610.1021/acs.estlett.4c00696","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p >The growing issue of electronic waste (E-waste), driven by the exponential growth in electronic device usage, presents significant environmental and economic challenges. E-waste production has surged, increasing by ∼2 million metric tonnes (Mt) annually, reaching 60 Mt in 2023, with projections suggesting it will exceed 70 Mt by 2030. Despite China, the United States, and India being the top E-waste producers, their recycling rates remain critically low at 16%, 15%, and 1%, respectively. E-waste contains valuable metals, such as gold (Au), silver (Ag), and copper (Cu), which comprise ∼60% of its composition. However, only 17.4% of the global E-waste was appropriately recycled in 2023. This Review discusses the latest data on E-waste, evaluates current metal recovery methods, and emphasizes the urgency of sustainable solutions to mitigate environmental hazards and promote a circular economy. The paper also covers case studies highlighting challenges and potential strategies for enhancing metal recovery efficiency, contributing significantly to global sustainability efforts and waste management.</p>","PeriodicalId":37,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Technology Letters Environ.","volume":"12 1","pages":"8–24 8–24"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Environmental Science & Technology Letters Environ.","FirstCategoryId":"1","ListUrlMain":"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00696","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The growing issue of electronic waste (E-waste), driven by the exponential growth in electronic device usage, presents significant environmental and economic challenges. E-waste production has surged, increasing by ∼2 million metric tonnes (Mt) annually, reaching 60 Mt in 2023, with projections suggesting it will exceed 70 Mt by 2030. Despite China, the United States, and India being the top E-waste producers, their recycling rates remain critically low at 16%, 15%, and 1%, respectively. E-waste contains valuable metals, such as gold (Au), silver (Ag), and copper (Cu), which comprise ∼60% of its composition. However, only 17.4% of the global E-waste was appropriately recycled in 2023. This Review discusses the latest data on E-waste, evaluates current metal recovery methods, and emphasizes the urgency of sustainable solutions to mitigate environmental hazards and promote a circular economy. The paper also covers case studies highlighting challenges and potential strategies for enhancing metal recovery efficiency, contributing significantly to global sustainability efforts and waste management.
期刊介绍:
Environmental Science & Technology Letters serves as an international forum for brief communications on experimental or theoretical results of exceptional timeliness in all aspects of environmental science, both pure and applied. Published as soon as accepted, these communications are summarized in monthly issues. Additionally, the journal features short reviews on emerging topics in environmental science and technology.