UC scientists study innovative process to recover precious metals from electronic waste

Abridged version in English: Diana Taborda

A research team from the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC) is studying a new process for the recovery of materials used in the electronics industry.

Electronic waste presents a high accumulation rate, reaching almost 10 million tonnes per year in the European Union, with only around 15-20% being recycled. In 2021, the estimated production of Electrical and Electronic Waste Equipment (EEEW) was 55.2 million tonnes worldwide.

In order to tackle this issue, the FCTUC research team is carrying out research on the task "E-Waste Recycling to Foster a Circular and Sustainable Economy", which aims to contribute to the development of industrial processes towards a circular economy and product recycling in the Microelectronics sector.

Paula Morais, FCTUC professor and researcher at the Microbiology Laboratory of the UC Centre for Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Processes (CEMMPRE) explains that “The idea is to find a combined process - chemical and biological - for the recovery of high-value precious and critical metals from electrical and electronic computer waste. To do so we apply a methodology based on an initial diagnostic study to identify and map the ecosystem of the Portuguese Microelectronics sector, after which we analyse the microbiological and chemical processes for the recycling of precious metals.”

Thus, “we will develop bio-leaching processes from waste generated by our industrial partners, as well as selective bioaccumulation of metals after the chemical treatment of that waste. It is a chemical-biological hybrid system for the recovery of metals, and therefore extremely innovative. Among the materials to be recovered from end-of-life equipment are precious metals such as gold, platinum and silver, and the critical metals indium and gallium".

The project started in January 2023 and involves a consortium of 17 partners.