Biorecovery of Precious Metal Nanoparticles From Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipments
The accelerating rate of accumulation of electronic waste or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is a global problem due to the environmental and health consequences. Recycling of WEEE is a sustainable solution to overcome this problem. Use of WEEE as a secondary ore to extract precious metals and metal nanoparticles is widely practiced in recycling systems. The wider array of applications of precious metals and metal nanoparticles and greener production means has increased the demand from industry. The use of microorganisms has been identified as a greener method for recycling WEEE and extracting metals and their nanoparticles. Furthermore, the ability of such microorganisms to produce nanoparticles using their biological mechanisms is a major advantage. This chapter discusses the extraction of metals and metal nanoparticles as a value-added product of microorganism-mediated WEEE recycling processes, their advantages and disadvantages compared to conventional methods, and potential applications
2019
978-0-12-816190-6
133-152
Chapter 6
133
152