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Recovery of Valuable Metals and Nonmetals from E-waste

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 2807

Special Issue Editors

1. School of Materials Science and Hydrogen Energy, Foshan University, Foshan, China
2. Guangdong Key Laboratory for Hydrogen Energy Technologies, Foshan, China
Interests: sustainable composites; recycling of E-wastes; functional polymer composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
2. Key Lab of Guangdong High Property and Functional Macromolecular Materials, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
Interests: recycling of E-wastes; high-performance rubbers; polymer composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

E-waste is the fastest-growing solid waste stream worldwide, and contains large amounts of valuable metals. It is thus considered an attractive polymetallic secondary source and known as “urban mine”. Particularly, the purity of precious metals in waste printed circuit boards is much higher than that of those in rich ore, sparking intensive interest in researchers to extract valuable metals from e-waste. 

However, in addition to these valuable metals, many residual heavy metals (e.g., Cd, Hg, Pb, Cr) and hazardous materials in e-waste may lead to increased toxicity in the ecosystem. Environment-friendly, efficient, and cost-effective recovery technologies have been an urgent demand for the recycling of metals from e-waste. Moreover, the high-valued reutilization of nonmetallic materials in e-waste is also crucially important for the comprehensive recycling of e-waste and the development of circular economy.

This Special Issue of Molecules is designed to gather scientific papers on the recovery of valuable metallic and nonmetallic materials from e-waste. In this Special Issue, original research articles, short communications, and review articles are welcome. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Physical/chemical recycling techniques (pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, electrometallurgy);
  • Biological processes for metal recovery (bioleaching, biosorption, phytoremediation, bio-electrochemical systems);
  • Recovery of valuable materials from waste printed circuit boards;
  • New green technologies for materials recycling from e-waste;
  • Strategies for overcoming the toxicity of e-waste;
  • High-value reutilization of nonmetallic materials in e-waste;
  • Sustainable composites based on nonmetallic materials in e-waste.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Recycling.

Dr. Dechao Hu
Dr. Zhixin Jia
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • electronic waste
  • metal recovery
  • waste printed circuit boards
  • hydrometallurgy
  • chemical leaching
  • bioleaching
  • waste management
  • reutilization of nonmetallic materials

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

23 pages, 8751 KiB  
Review
High Value-Added Reutilization of Waste-Printed Circuit Boards Non-Metallic Components in Sustainable Polymer Composites
by Dechao Hu, Xianghong Zeng, Yinlei Lin, Yongjun Chen, Wanjuan Chen, Zhixin Jia and Jing Lin
Molecules 2023, 28(17), 6199; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28176199 - 23 Aug 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2151
Abstract
The reutilization non-metallic components from a waste-printed circuit board (WPCB) has become one of the most significant bottlenecks in the comprehensive reuse of electronic wastes due to its low value and complex compositions, and it has received great attention from scientific and industrial [...] Read more.
The reutilization non-metallic components from a waste-printed circuit board (WPCB) has become one of the most significant bottlenecks in the comprehensive reuse of electronic wastes due to its low value and complex compositions, and it has received great attention from scientific and industrial researchers. To effectively address the environmental pollution caused by inappropriate recycling methods, such as incineration and landfill, extensive efforts have been dedicated to achieving the high value-added reutilization of WPCB non-metals in sustainable polymer composites. In this review, recent progress in developing sustainable polymer composites based on WPCB non-metallic components was systematically summarized. It has been demonstrated that the WPCB non-metals can serve as a promising reinforcing and functional fillers to significantly ameliorate some of the physical and chemical properties of polymer composites, such as excellent mechanical properties, enhanced thermal stability, and flame retardancy. The recovery strategies and composition of WPCB non-metals were also briefly discussed. Finally, the future potentials and remaining challenges regarding the reutilization of WPCB non-metallic components are outlined. This work provides readers with a comprehensive understanding of the preparation, structure, and properties of the polymer composites based on WPCB non-metals, providing significant insights regarding the high value-added reutilization of WPCB non-metals of electronic wastes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recovery of Valuable Metals and Nonmetals from E-waste)
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