Electronic waste as a secondary source of critical metals: Management and recovery technologies
TL;DR: In this paper, the global state of electronic waste, its management and the latest technological developments in metal recovery from various streams of e-waste are discussed. And perspectives on electronic waste as a secondary source of critical metals are given, including printed circuit boards (PCB), hard disc drives (HDD) and displays.
Abstract: The wealth of the society depends on several metals, including base metals, precious metals and increasingly rare earth elements (REE). They are collectively termed as technology metals. Numerous applications stimulated the use of technology metals, and their supply is at stake, owing to the high demand and uneven geographical distribution of these metals. Their stable supply is crucial for the transition to a sustainable and circular economy. There is an increasing interest in secondary sources of these metals. This article outlines the global state of electronic waste, its management and the latest technological developments in metal recovery from various streams of electronic waste. An emphasis is given to printed circuit boards (PCB), hard disc drives (HDD) and displays regarding their critical metal content. Physical, pyrometallurgical and (bio)hydrometallurgical metal recovery technologies are overviewed. In addition, perspectives on electronic waste as a secondary source of critical metals are given.
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TL;DR: A conceptual framework and possible mitigation measures to minimize health risks are highlighted and future research is needed to better understand sources, environmental behaviour, ecotoxicology, and human epidemiology.
363 citations
TL;DR: A review of the literature on CSCM is presented in this paper, where the authors classify various terminologies related to supply chain sustainability and conceptualize a unifying definition of CSCMs.
339 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an overview of various technologies on the recovery of precious metals from e-waste and spent catalysts is provided, which shows that recycling technologies have been significantly improved in recent years.
Abstract: Precious metals are widely applied in many industry fields due to their excellent corrosion resistance, good electrical conductivity and high catalytic activity. However, the reserves of precious metals falls short of the production globally. The rapid generation of end-of-life products has become the significant resources of precious metals. Among these products, electronic waste (e-waste) and spent catalysts are more concentrated since they account for over 90% of precious metals in industry. This article provides an overview of various technologies on the recovery of precious metals from e-waste and spent catalysts. It shows that recycling technologies have been significantly improved in recent years. The recycling processes have transferred from leaching by aqua regia, cyanide and chlorine in acid solution to less pollution agents leaching. Environment-oriented technologies have been raised great attention in precious metals recycling. The advantages and environmental impacts of these recycling technologies have been discussed in detail. However, there are still some challenges for future promotion. In order to achieve the environment-friendly and sustainable recycling for precious metals with high recovery rate, several considerations have been proposed.
225 citations
TL;DR: The increasing incorporation and dependence of REs in technology have raised concerns about their sustainability and motivated recent studies for improved separations to achieve a circular RE economy.
Abstract: The rare earths (REs) are a family of 17 elements that exhibit pronounced chemical similarities as a group, while individually expressing distinctive and varied electronic properties. These atomistic electronic properties are extraordinarily useful and motivate the application of REs in many technologies and devices. From their discovery to the present day, a major challenge faced by chemists has been the separation of RE elements, which has evolved from tedious crystallization to highly engineered solvent extraction schemes. The increasing incorporation and dependence of REs in technology have raised concerns about their sustainability and motivated recent studies for improved separations to achieve a circular RE economy.
217 citations
TL;DR: The systematic literature review is a first of its kind that may provide a useful reference for academicians, researchers and industry practitioners for a better understanding of WEEE focused RL/CLSC activities and research.
Abstract: Reverse logistics (RL) and the closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) are integral parts of the holistic waste management process. One of the important end-of-life (EOL) products considered in the RL/CLSC is Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)/E-waste. Numerous research papers were published in the RL and CLSC disciplines focusing WEEE separately. However, there is no single review article found on the product-specific issues. To bridge this gap, a total of 157 papers published between 1999 and May 2017 were selected, categorized, analyzed using content analysis method. The method involves four steps: material collection, descriptive analysis, category selection and material evaluation. For the systematic literature review, the steps were followed and four main types of research in the field of RL and CLSC of E-waste, namely designing and planning of reverse distribution, decision making and performance evaluation, conceptual framework, and qualitative studies were identified and reviewed. Research gaps in literature were diagnosed to suggest future research opportunities. The review first of its kind that may provide a useful reference for academicians, researchers and industry practitioners for a better understanding of WEEE focused RL/CLSC activities and research.
214 citations
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TL;DR: Miniaturisation and the development of more efficient cloud computing networks, where computing services are delivered over the internet from remote locations, may offset the increase in E-waste production from global economic growth and theDevelopment of pervasive new technologies.
1,431 citations
"Electronic waste as a secondary sou..." refers background in this paper
...In developed countries, WEEE makes up to 8% of the municipal waste by weight (Robinson, 2009), with an increasing relative fraction....
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TL;DR: In the detailed literature survey, value distributions for different electronic waste samples were calculated, and it was showed that the major economic driver for recycling of electronic waste is from the recovery of precious metals.
1,391 citations
TL;DR: The Basel Ban, an amendment to the Basel Convention that has not yet come into force, would go one step further by prohibiting the export of e-waste from developed to industrializing countries as discussed by the authors.
1,377 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1976
TL;DR: Inco flash smelting as discussed by the authors is an outokumpu process that converts matte copper ores into slag and then converts slag to slag-free copper.
Abstract: Overview. Production and use. Concentrating copper ores. Matte smelting fundamentals. Flash smelting - outokumpu process. Inco flash smelting. Noranda and teniente smelting. Ausmelt/isasmelt matte smelting. Batch converting of Cu matte. Continuous converting. Copper loss in slag. Direct-to-copper flash smelting. Mitsubishi continuous smelting/converting. Capture and fixation of sulfur. Fire refining and casting of anodes: sulfur and oxygen removal. electrolytic refining. Hydrometallurgical copper extraction: introduction and leaching. Solvent extraction transfer of cu from leach solution to electrolyte. Electrowinning. Collection and processing of recycled copper. Chemical metallurgy of copper recycling. Melting and casting. Costs of copper production
1,033 citations
TL;DR: The physical and particle properties of WEEE are presented and it is expected that a mechanical recycling process will be developed for the upgrading of low metal content scraps.
956 citations