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Federal Researchers Find New Ways To Recycle E-Waste From Electronics
Federal researchers have made groundbreaking discoveries in the recycling of electronic waste (e-waste) from discarded cellphones and computers. In a major breakthrough, scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) have developed innovative methods to extract critical minerals and recycle e-waste more efficiently.
The issue of e-waste has reached crisis proportions, with less than one-fourth of the 62 million tonnes of e-waste generated globally in 2022 being recycled. The World Health Organization warns that unsound recycling activities can release up to 1,000 different chemical substances into the environment, including known neurotoxics such as lead.
PNNL scientists have successfully created a device to funnel dissolved e-waste and extract critical minerals like neodymium and dysprosium in just a few hours. This new technique is significantly faster and more energy-efficient than traditional methods that can take up to a week to complete.
Another innovative approach by PNNL involves the use of a gel-based system to dissolve and extract manganese from lithium batteries, providing a potential solution for recycling cobalt, lithium, and nickel from discarded batteries.
Separately, researchers at ANL have made significant progress in making and recycling luminescent polymers used in electronics such as computer screens and car dashboard navigation displays. The team’s breakthrough involves the creation of biodegradable and recyclable luminescent polymers for light-emitting semiconductors, which can be broken down using heat or mild acid for recycling.
The significance of these discoveries cannot be overstated. The e-waste industry is expected to grow from $46 billion in 2025 to a staggering $260 billion by 2032. ANL’s lead scientist on the project, Jie Xu, emphasized that this achievement has the potential to eliminate electronic waste that would otherwise end up in landfills.
These innovative solutions offer a beacon of hope for tackling the enormous problem of e-waste disposal.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/noelfletcher/2025/03/30/federal-researchers-find-new-ways-to-recycle-e-waste-from-electronics/
