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Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and TechnologyVolume 49, Issue 3, 1 February 2019, Pages 212-275

Recent advances on hydrometallurgical recovery of critical and precious elements from end of life electronic wastes - a review(Article)(Open Access)

  • Sethurajan, M.,
  • van Hullebusch, E.D.,
  • Fontana, D.,
  • Akcil, A.,
  • Deveci, H.,
  • Batinic, B.,
  • Leal, J.P.,
  • Gasche, T.A.,
  • Ali Kucuker, M.,
  • Kuchta, K.,
  • Neto, I.F.F.,
  • Soares, H.M.V.M.,
  • Chmielarz, A.
  • View Correspondence (jump link)
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  • aDepartment of Environmental Engineering and Water Technology, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Delft, Netherlands
  • bInstitut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, University Paris Diderot, Paris, France
  • cENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Rome, Italy
  • dMineral-Metal Recovery and Recycling (MMR&R) Research Group, Mineral Processing Division, Department of Mining Engineering, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey
  • eHydromet B&PM Group, Mineral&Coal Processing Division, Department of Mining Engineering, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey
  • fDepartment of Environmental Engineering and Safety at work, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
  • gCentro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares (C 2 TN), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Bobadela, LRS, Portugal
  • hCentro de Química Estrutural (CQE), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Bobadela, LRS, Portugal
  • iInstitute of Environmental Technology and Energy Economics, Hamburg University of Technology, Hamburg, Germany
  • jLAQV/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Engenharia Química, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
  • kInstytut Metali Nieżelaznych, Gliwice, Poland

Abstract

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) contains economically significant levels of precious, critical metals and rare earth elements, apart from base metals and other toxic compounds. Recycling and recovery of critical elements from WEEEs using a cost-effective technology are now one of the top priorities in metallurgy due to the rapid depletion of their natural resources. More than 150 publications on WEEE management, leaching and recovery of metals from WEEE were reviewed in this work, with special emphasize on the recent research (2015–2018). This paper summarizes the recent progress regarding various hydrometallurgical processes for the leaching of critical elements from WEEEs. Various methodologies and techniques for critical elements selective recovery (using ionic liquids, solvent extraction, electrowinning, adsorption, and precipitation) from the WEEEs leachates are discussed. Future prospects regarding the use of WEEEs as secondary resources for critical raw materials and its techno-economical and commercial beneficiaries are discussed. AbbreviationsE-Waste Electronic wasteWEEE Waste electrical and electronic equipmentCRM Critical raw materialsPCB Printed circuit boardLCD Liquid crystal displayCRT Cathode ray tubeFl. Lamp Fluorescent lampHDD Hard disk drivesLED Light emitting diodeEU European UnionUNEP United Nations Environmental ProgramREE Rare earth elementITO Indium-tin oxidePM Precious metalNiMH battery Nickel-hydride batteryCPU Central processing unitRAM Random access memoryLiBs Li-ion batteriesSFL Spent fluorescent lamps. © 2019, © 2019 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Author keywords

Critical and precious metalsCritical raw materialsE-WastesHydrometallurgyMetal selective recoveryRare earth elementsWEEEs

Indexed keywords

Engineering controlled terms:CathodesCost effectivenessElectronic WasteFluorescenceHydrometallurgyIndium compoundsIonic liquidsLeachingLiquid crystal displaysLiquid crystalsLithium-ion batteriesNickel compoundsOscillators (electronic)Printed circuit boardsProgram processorsRare earth compoundsRare earth elementsRare earthsSolvent extractionTin oxidesWastes
Engineering uncontrolled termsCost-effective technologyCritical raw materialsEnd-of-life electronicsHydrometallurgical processHydrometallurgical recoverySelective recoveryWaste electrical and electronic equipmentWEEEs
Engineering main heading:Metal recovery
EMTREE drug terms:chloridecobaltcyanideeuropiumgalliumgoldhydroxideinorganic acidiodideionic liquidlanthanidelithium ionoxidepalladiumpolychlorinated biphenylsilversulfidethiosulfatethioureayttrium
GEOBASE Subject Index:electronic equipmentelectronic wasteinformation processingleachateleachingmetallurgyrare earth elementrecoveryrecyclingsolventUnited Nations Environment Program
EMTREE medical terms:adsorptionArticlechemical compositione-wasteleachingmetallurgymethodologyprecipitationrecyclingsolvent extraction

Chemicals and CAS Registry Numbers:

chloride, 16887-00-6; cobalt, 7440-48-4; cyanide, 57-12-5; europium, 7440-53-1; gallium, 7440-55-3, 14391-02-7; gold, 7440-57-5; hydroxide, 14280-30-9; iodide, 20461-54-5; lithium ion, 17341-24-1; oxide, 16833-27-5; silver, 7440-22-4; sulfide, 18496-25-8; thiosulfate, 14383-50-7; thiourea, 62-56-6; yttrium, 7440-65-5

Funding details

Funding sponsor Funding number Acronym
UID/QUI/50006/2013 - POCI/01/0145/FEDER/007265,INTENC/113Y011,116M012,4957-D2-17
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
See opportunities by FCT
UID/Multi/04349/2013,ERA-MIN/0002/2014FCT
European Cooperation in Science and TechnologyFP7-PEOPLE-2013-COFUNDCOST
PTDC/QEQ-EPR/1249/2014
Ministerio de Economía y CompetitividadPT2020,SFRH/BD/87299/ 2012MINECO
  • 1

    The authors would like to thank the financial support provided by the European network for innovative recovery strategies of rare earth and other Critical metals from electrical and electronic waste (RECREEW), COST action program. M. Sethurajan and E.D. van Hullebusch thank the Experienced Water Postdoc Fellowship COFUND Programme (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-COFUND). J.P. Leal and T.G. Almeida thank Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia for financial support under projects ENVIREE (ERA-MIN/0002/2014), REEuse (PTDC/QEQ-EPR/1249/2014) and C2TN (UID/Multi/04349/2013). A. Akcil and H. Deveci thank TUBITAK and SDU BAPYB for financial support under projects INTENC/113Y011, 116M012 and 4957-D2-17. Isabel F.F. Neto and Helena M.V.M. Soares thank the financial support with reference LAQV (UID/QUI/50006/2013 - POCI/01/0145/FEDER/007265) from FCT/MEC through national funds and co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020. Isabel F.F. Neto acknowledges a grant scholarship (SFRH/BD/87299/2012) financed by FCT.

  • 2

    The authors would like to thank the financial support provided by the European network for innovative recovery strategies of rare earth and other Critical metals from electrical and electronic waste (RECREEW), COST action program. M. Sethurajan and E.D. van Hullebusch thank the Experienced Water Postdoc Fellowship COFUND Programme (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-COFUND). J.P. Leal and T.G. Almeida thank Fundac\u00B8\u00E3o para a Ci\u00EAncia e a Tecnologia for financial support under projects ENVIREE (ERA-MIN/0002/2014), REEuse (PTDC/QEQ-EPR/1249/2014) and C2TN (UID/Multi/04349/2013). A. Akcil and H. Deveci thank TUBITAK and SDU BAPYB for financial support under projects INTENC/113Y011, 116M012 and 4957-D2-17. Isabel F.F. Neto and Helena M.V.M. Soares thank the financial support with reference LAQV (UID/QUI/50006/2013 - POCI/01/0145/FEDER/007265) from FCT/MEC through national funds and co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020. Isabel F.F. Neto acknowledges a grant scholarship (SFRH/BD/87299/ 2012) financed by FCT.

  • ISSN: 10643389
  • CODEN: CRETE
  • Source Type: Journal
  • Original language: English
  • DOI: 10.1080/10643389.2018.1540760
  • Document Type: Article
  • Publisher: Taylor and Francis Inc.

  Sethurajan, M.; Department of Environmental Engineering and Water Technology, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Westvest 7, Delft, AX, Netherlands;
© Copyright 2019 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

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