Nanobiotechnology for E-waste management

E-waste (electronic waste) is generated by electronic and electrical sectors, which include cellular phones, gadgets, laptops, computers, telephones, and electrical appliances like air conditioners, washing machines and refrigerators. e-waste is a fast-growing waste stream in both developed and developing countries and its management is an increasing global concern. Mainly composed of ferrous, nonferrous, ceramic, plastic materials and also metals like Cu, Fe, Zn, Ni, Uranium, Strontium (Sr) and Cesium (Cs), e-waste is described as the “End of Life” waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) by the European Commission. However, these elements can be successfully removed or degraded by nanoparticles (NPs), which can help to curb the menace of e-waste metal toxicity. The microemulsions that have been used in recovering these waste etchant solutions generated from industries and upon their disposable led into environmental pollution, and also their storage and separation methods are very expensive. In due course, we can replace it with cost-effective NPs/emulsion systems that can be used to recover e-waste. Reuse, remanufacturing, recycling, and recovery are four basic approaches to deal with e-waste. Moreover, hydrometallurgy or pyrometallurgies play a role in e-waste processing and recovery and will be cost-effective, if it is incorporated with nanoparticle-based metal recovery. Therefore, this chapter will discuss environment-friendly approaches required to address e-waste removal, disposal, degradation, and recycling.