Concepts of circular economy for sustainable management of electronic wastes: challenges and management options

Abstract

The electronic and electrical industrial sector is exponentially growing throughout the globe, and sometimes, these wastes are being disposed of and discarded with a faster rate in comparison to the past era due to technology advancements. As the application of electronic devices is increasing due to the digitalization of the world (IT sector, medical, domestic, etc.), a heap of discarded e-waste is also being generated. Per-capita e-waste generation is very high in developed countries as compared to developing countries. Expansion of the global population and advancement of technologies are mainly responsible to increase the e-waste volume in our surroundings. E-waste is responsible for environmental threats as it may contain dangerous and toxic substances like metals which may have harmful effects on the biodiversity and environment. Furthermore, the life span and types of e-waste determine their harmful effects on nature, and unscientific practices of their disposal may elevate the level of threats as observed in most developing countries like India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and China. In the present review paper, many possible approaches have been discussed for effective e-waste management, such as recycling, recovery of precious metals, adopting the concepts of circular economy, formulating relevant policies, and use of advance computational techniques. On the other hand, it may also provide potential secondary resources valuable/critical materials whose primary sources are at significant supply risk. Furthermore, the use of machine learning approaches can also be useful in the monitoring and treatment/processing of e-wastes. Highlights In 2019, ~ 53.6 million tons of e-wastes generated worldwide. Discarded e-wastes may be hazardous in nature due to presence of heavy metal compositions. Precious metals like gold, silver, and copper can also be procured from e-wastes. Advance tools like artificial intelligence/machine learning can be useful in the management of e-wastes. Graphical abstract

Multifunctional Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/Crystalline Nanofibrous Cellulose Composites for Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Electronics

“…To improve ink stability, SACN−PEDOT was dispersed in DMSO and EG, with the best stability observed in EG with negligible precipitation after 20 h [Figure 10b(1)]. More complex circuit design was printed on different substrates, PVDF [Figure 10a(2)] and cellulose membranes [Figure 10a (3,4)]. The LED light showed bright illumination when the circuit was connected to a power supply [Figure 10b(2,3)] and preserved its conductivity under bending, indicating that the printed patterns of SACN−PEDOT−EG could be used in flexible green electronics [Figure 10a (3,4)].…”

“…More complex circuit design was printed on different substrates, PVDF [Figure 10a(2)] and cellulose membranes [Figure 10a (3,4)]. The LED light showed bright illumination when the circuit was connected to a power supply [Figure 10b(2,3)] and preserved its conductivity under bending, indicating that the printed patterns of SACN−PEDOT−EG could be used in flexible green electronics [Figure 10a (3,4)]. PEDOT, while known for its conductive properties, has limitations due to its hydrophobic nature and brittleness.…”

“…E-waste pollutants, encompassing heavy metals and harmful agents, become airborne during processing, adversely affecting human health through ingestion, inhalation, and skin absorption. These contaminants also penetrate water and soil, entering aquatic environments and threating biodiversity in ecosystems . To meet the criteria of being both “green” and “sustainable”: the future electronics should be flexible, low-cost, biocompatible, biodegradable, recyclable, mechanically durable, and electrically conductive for desired applications. − Along this direction, cellulose materials constitute promising resources for next-generation electronics due to their abundance, renewability, processability, controllable biodegradability, lightweightness, flexibility, and mechanical performance. − …”

Design of sustainable electronic waste management business process transformation towards circular economy transition in Jakarta, Indonesia

“…This issue is interesting because the circular economy is one of the important concepts in the application of the topic of sustainability of development [4]. E-waste includes valuable components like rare earth metals, iron, gold, silver, and other metals with high economic value [2]. One of the important processes in e-waste management is e-waste collection [5].…”

Integrating Renewable Microbial Fuel Cells in Dual In‐Line Package for Chip‐On‐Board Circuits

“…[ 11 ] Because natural elements' consumption outweighs their production, the huge effect on the global market required the urgent establishment of economic, environmental, and energy laws. [ 12 ] Unfortunately, these efforts are mainly just composed of chemical‐ and waste‐disposal guidelines to satisfy industrial demands while not avoiding future disasters by reducing the built‐up damage. [ 13 ] Meanwhile, the emergence of green electronics has shined a light on completely bio‐friendly solutions.…”