Optimized bioengineered copper recovery from electronic wastes to increase recycling and reduce environmental impact
Arun Murali, Matthew J Plummer, Adam E Shine, Michael L. Free, Prashant K. Sarswat
Abstract
The electronic and electrical industries' long-term development requires not just efficient energy use at all phases of manufacturing, but also the recycling of end-of-life electric and electronic parts. Nonetheless, rapid innovation, miniaturization, and value have resulted in a huge accumulation of e-waste, raising environmental issues. This study delves into the recycling potential of various types of electronic waste (LCD scrap, laptop-computer scrap, user scrap, motherboard scrap, and hard-drive scrap). The research utilizes e-waste scrap and extracts the copper from comminuted scrap by placing it in small columns to simulate small sections of heaps to demonstrate the viability of metal recovery from e-waste. Different grades (according to values of Cu and other precious metals) of e-waste were acquired and tested. The initial bio-leaching solution, for copper extraction, consists of ferric ions, generated by A. ferrooxidans-assisted oxidation of Fe2+. To maximize the Cu recovery, the factors that were examined for column-leaching were initial Eh, pH, and flow-rate using the statistical design of experiments. 96% Cu recovery was accomplished in 72 h utilizing the optimum conditions, demonstrating that metals in e-waste may be efficiently leached using appropriate bio-oxidation and subsequent processing.