Toxic Metal Recovery from Waste Printed Circuit Boards: A Review of Advanced Approaches for Sustainable Treatment Methodology

Abstract

The rapid advancement of technical advancements has resulted in the generation of substantial amount of electronic trash (e-waste). The volume of e-waste created, as well as the presence of both dangerous and beneficial elements, enhances the business potential of recovery and recycling significantly. Waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) include a number of hazardous heavy metals, including copper (Cu), tin (Sn), lead (Pb), and others (Zn, Ni, Fe, Br, Mn, Mg etc.). These discarded metals without treatment threaten the economy, the environment, and human health. Heavy metal recovery from PCBs is a big difficulty for researchers. The present review focuses on technological advances in the recovery of toxic, precious metals from PCBs.

Discarded e-waste/printed circuit boards: a review of their recent methods of disassembly, sorting and environmental implications

“…By embracing Fig. 3 Additional adverse effects of toxic metals/compounds from DPCBs on humans [47,151,152] these possibilities, we can transform the perception of discarded PCBs from waste to resource and, in doing so, pave the way for a more sustainable and responsible approach to e-waste management. Whilst the NH 3 /NH 4 + metal leaching process offers advantages such as cost-effectiveness and strong selectivity, it is crucial to recognise that the breakdown and volatility of ammonia in the leaching process can present dangers to both human well-being and the environment.…”

“…More information obtained from the literature on the adverse effects of harmful substances in DPCBs on humans is illustrated in Fig. 3 [47,151,152].…”

The Role of Electrochemistry and Electrochemical Technology in Environmental Protection, a review

“…The success of selective electroextraction is ensured by the difference in standard electrode potential for electrical scarps and printed circuit boards containing copper constituents [30,37,[56][57][58][59][60][61]. A selective electroextraction process of mixed metals can be performed by stabilizing the cathode potential at the metal potential (referred to standard reference electrode) [33,62].…”

Statistical Optimization of Bioleaching for Simultaneous Recovery of Cu, Sn, Pb, and Zn from Computer-Printed Circuit Boards

“…From literature studies, leaching by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans [4] and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans [2,[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] was found to be extremely successful. A broad range of heterotrophic [14], chemolithotrophic [15], and hemophilic [16] bacteria and fungi [6,17] have been tested for basic metal mobilization, including Cu, Zn, Fe, and Ni [2,18,19].…”