Multidisciplinary Approach Toward All Phases of WEEE Life Cycle for Economic and Sustainable Electronic-Wastes Recovery

Dear Colleagues,

When items of electric and electronic equipment (EEE) and their parts are discarded by their owners since there is no intention of reuse, they are referred to as waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), also referred to as UEEE (used electrical and electronic equipment), e-waste, or e-scrap.
Due to constant technology development, electronic devices and appliances represent some of our most wasted household and commercial items. Connected to this development, there is the necessity of handling and managing the waste electrical and electronic equipment. The improper handling and management of WEEE can determine not only relevant environmental damage, but also threats on human health.
Additionally, this kind of waste contains noteworthy quantities of valuable materials, such as metals and plastics, as well as precious and rare metals. It is therefore necessary, not only in the recovery phase, to adopt approaches that are environmentally friendly, but also to design even more efficient WEEE recovery systems.
Correct WEEE management has been recognized as one of the major challenges of the 21st century, and this problem is faced not only by the scientific community and activist organizations, but also by international and national authorities.

For all these reasons, it is necessary to investigate and optimize all the phases of the WEEE life cycle, from collection to primary and secondary transportation, dismantling, recycling, and material recovery.
Many academic researchers are focusing their effort on these themes, and several interesting questions still remain to be investigated: the environmental and human impacts of different types of e-waste, the recycling process of e-waste, the effects of harmful substances that can derive from the recycling process, the effectiveness of recycling process, the cost of the metal recycling process, and the planning of political actions to effectively control the amount of waste in the environment.

Additionally, among these sectors, the impact of the so-called “smart buildings” on the production of e-waste is an aspect that has yet to be investigated. Following the Directive (EU) 2018/844 of the European Parliament and of the Council, these intelligent buildings involve features such as smart meters, self-regulating devices for the regulation of indoor air temperature, built-in home appliances, building automation and control systems, energy storage, and recharging points for electric vehicles. These features are not present in traditional buildings, and it is clear that they will have an impact at the end of life.

Topics of interest for submission include, but are not limited to:

• Characteristics of valuable materials of WEEE;
• Recovery and reuse of WEEE;
• Recent developments in recycling technologies;
• Technologies and practices for critical metals recovery;
• Hazardous and recyclable materials contained in waste PCBs;
• Green design and remanufacture;
• Life cycle assessment
• The policy and standards of WEEE;
• Collection and management strategies for WEEE;
• Environmental impact;
• Waste to resource: recovery and reuse of WEEE;
• Smart electronic design and recycling technologies;
• Critical metals in WEEE;
• Hazardous effects on the environment;
• Smart buildings and WEEE;
• E-waste in the construction and demolition (C&D) waste;
• Recycled e-waste for new construction materials.

Prof. Dr. Vincenzo Stornelli
Prof. Ida De Michelis
Prof. Francesco Veglio
Prof. Federica Cucchiella
Prof. Marianna Rotilio
Guest Editors

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• WEEE;
• eWaste;
• disposal;
• recovery;
• sustainability;
• waste management;
• smart buildings.