Valorisation of Electronic Waste (E-waste): Value-Added Products Derived from Processing and Recycling of E-waste

Dear colleagues,

According to a United Nations report, “tsunami of electronic waste (e-waste)”, e-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream, due to a growing population, economic prosperity, technological advancements and the shorter lifespan of electronic devices. E-waste is currently produced at a global rate of 50 million tonnes per year, and is projected to increase to 120 million tonnes by 2050. Disposing of e-waste devices causes environmental impacts, health problems and resource depletion; however, aligning the waste stream with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) can offer scientific, technological, environmental and economic opportunities.

With respect to the concept of the circular economy, e-waste, which includes precious minerals, metals, polymers and ceramics, can be recycled and recovered for other purposes, also mitigating the need to derive raw materials from mining with significant CO₂ emissions. Recently, associated organisations and an e-waste coalition set a target to push the global e-waste recycling rate from 20 to 30%, with the remainder disposed in landfill, incinerated or exported to developing countries.

At present, it is a challenge to produce high-value products from e-waste through high-efficiency, sustainable recycling methods, due to the complex nature and heterogeneity of e-waste (e.g., composites, hazardous substances, heavy metals, etc.). Established processes for recovery are expensive and non-environmentally friendly, producing unmarketable products that have too little value and require the use of toxic chemicals.

Therefore, developing value-added recycling is an emerging field that addresses the processing and valorisation of complex e-waste into advanced functional materials and structures. Successful outcomes in this field will allow for materials from e-waste to replace the expensive and multi-step derivation of production materials from pure substances.

This Special Issue aims to publish manuscripts on the following topics:

• Novel, green, sustainable and eco-efficient processes for the recycling and reuse of e-waste streams;
• New technologies for the isolation of hazardous materials in e-waste;
• The development and characterisation of value-added materials from e-waste;
• The direct transformation of e-waste into advanced materials;
• The synthesis of nanomaterials for energy, sensing, catalyst and photocatalyst applications from e-waste;
• Attempts at the development of techniques applicable in mass operations and the large-scale recycling of e-waste
• Environmental, social and economic analyses and assessments of e-waste recycling and valorisation (lifecycle assessments, environmental-impact assessments, techno-economic analyses and e-waste minimisation);
• The storage and collection of e-waste streams;
• The circular economy and its potential applications to e-waste valorisation;
• Innovative and interdisciplinary areas of e-waste recycling.

We are looking forward to being honoured with your invaluable manuscripts for this Special Issue.

Dr. Rasoul Khayyam Nekouei
Dr. Mojtaba Saba
Ms. Rabeeh Golmohammadzadeh
Mr. Fariborz Faraji
Guest Editors

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• electronic waste (e-waste)
• value-added recycling and recovery
• circular economy
• sustainable materials
• hazardous materials
• eco-efficient recycling