{"id":25114,"date":"2023-08-23T07:21:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T11:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quantumlifecycle.com\/?p=25114"},"modified":"2023-08-28T14:22:09","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T18:22:09","slug":"the-future-of-electronic-waste-innovations-in-e-waste-recycling-technologies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quantumlifecycle.com\/en_CA\/blog\/the-future-of-electronic-waste-innovations-in-e-waste-recycling-technologies\/","title":{"rendered":"The Future of Electronic Waste: Innovations in E-Waste Recycling Technologies"},"content":{"rendered":"
Within recent decades, electronic waste<\/a> (\u201ce-waste\u201d) has become a growing concern across the globe. E-waste<\/a> is projected to increase by 30%<\/a> by 2030, with the potential for it to double by 2050<\/a> in a business-as-usual scenario. Both regulatory changes and ESG initiatives<\/a> pursued by corporations are driving change to stop these realities from taking hold. Yet, to prevent disastrous implications, the e-waste challenge must be viewed as an immediate emergency and not a far-off possibility. Fortunately, there are several innovations in e-waste and recycling<\/a> technology that could fuel positive change \u2014 here are a few of the most promising possibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n Batteries are among the most challenging electronics to dispose of responsibly. When left in landfills, they present serious risks<\/a> including thermal runaway. In this phenomenon, batteries overheat and become unstable, potentially leading to explosions. To address environmental concerns around batteries, researchers at Iowa State University have been investigating a technology<\/a> that could allow lithium ion batteries<\/a> to dissolve within water in minutes. This quicker, more controlled process could make e-waste recycling<\/a> safer both for people and the environment.<\/p>\n Recently, researchers have also been working to develop and deploy software that would enable AI-powered robots<\/a> to identify different types of smartphones as they\u2019re processed through the waste stream. Ideally, the robots would also be able to remove components such as batteries and valuable parts for recycling. This would ultimately address the tedious and time-consuming aspects of smartphone recycling<\/a> that make it so challenging, potentially allowing more phone components to be recycled successfully and preventing dangerous materials like rare earth metals from entering ecosystems.<\/p>\n Chemists are also keeping pace with evolving technology in the rush to find more sustainable e-waste recycling solutions, including the exploration of natural approaches to e-waste processing. In Austria, researchers are experimenting with using bacteria and algae to separate rare earth metals from electronics via a unique biorecycling method<\/a>. Likewise, a clean tech firm in New Zealand is grinding scrap metal from e-waste into a sand-like consistency, then using a\u00a0biorefining process<\/a> with microbes to extract gold which can then be repurposed. Experts have also been investigating the thermochemical process of pyrolysis<\/a> to recover metals and polymers from e-waste. Further research will be needed to determine if the emissions produced during this process will pose an environmental risk and thus outweigh any benefits.<\/p>\n Clearly, e-waste is a complex problem that demands creative solutions. Quantum is committed to staying at the forefront of e-waste research and implementing feasible solutions as they emerge. Find out more about how we facilitate sustainability<\/a> and can help reduce<\/a> your carbon impact here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Within recent decades, electronic waste (\u201ce-waste\u201d) has become a growing concern across the globe. E-waste is projected to increase by 30% by…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":25115,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-25114","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-blog","8":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nE-waste innovations & recycling technologies that are driving sustainability<\/h2>\n
Minimizing the impact of e-waste in landfills with dissolvable batteries<\/h3>\n
Implementing AI in the e-waste stream for efficient processing<\/h3>\n
Leveraging chemistry to aid in e-waste recycling<\/h3>\n