Electric and electronic waste

The pursuit of the sustainable development goal of responsible consumption and production requires innovative multi-disciplinary approaches. These goals are achieved in the present work with the use of granulated plastic made from waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) panels as a substitute for sand in the production of concrete mixtures. The optimal amount of plastic added, curing time, and water-cement ratio were determined experimentally. Data show that a theoretical compressive strength of 17.68 MPa was achieved using a water-cement ratio of 0.45, 6% sand replacement and 19 days curing time. While this strength is already suitable for general construction purposes, this represents a 13.54-percent deterioration compared with conventional concrete. Thus, enhancement was done with the addition of arrowroot powder as organic admixture which improved the compressive strength to a level comparable to conventional concrete. These results reveal that E-plastics are technically viable process inputs in the production of building materials and provide a sustainable strategy for responsible consumption and production.

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are a necessity for electronic equipment to function especially in the telecommunication industries. From a PCB for broadcasting networks to PCBs for office communications they are what makes electronic communications equipment operate. The sophistication possible with modern electronic and microelectronic devices depends ultimately on the materials they are made from. Metals have assumed a vital role in electronics at every stage in their evolution. PCBs are rich in base and precious metals, and should be considered as secondary resources. Bioleaching is a proven green and sustainable method for metal recovery as demonstrated in the mining industry, but application to recover metals from electronic equipment is still limited. In this study, bioleaching is applied for the first time to the telecommunications products that have reached the end of their useful life. Because several biological and physicochemical parameters can influence bioleaching, the first step in this study was to analyse the metal content of PCBs. In the second part, the effect of different parameters on bioleaching is investigated, with the aim of improving metal recovery. Altogether, the study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of bioleaching for metal recovery from WEEE.

Waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is defined as a special waste flow due to the fact that contains hazardous materials and should not be mixed and treat with other waste streams. In order to ensure adequate environmental protection and proper management of this waste flow, Serbia has harmonized its legislation in this field with the EU regulations. However, main objectives are still not implemented, mainly because undeveloped separate collection scheme and lack of advanced treatment technologies. Also, EPR principles are still not fully established, including issues in ensuring stabile financial support for treatment operators. In this paper, an overview of the current situation, as well as problems and challenges in the management of WEEE in Serbia, with the focus on the recycling industry, will be addressed.

The technology of Lithium batteries is nowadays greatly developing, as they are an efficient mean of energy storage. Their main use is in electric and electronic devices. Moreover after 2010, these batteries are also used in the development of electric vehicles, an industrial sector which has a high growth rate. Since these technologies are advancing and the quantitative use of Lithium batteries in Europe is expected to increase, a flow of Lithium batteries waste will be generated that will need novel methods to be treated. Therefore, much research should be done focusing on the waste batteries, their collection and possibilities of reuse. Recent approaches in battery recycling are focusing on material separation and partially processed raw material re-use. But concerns about the great amounts of waste, the possible lack of the primary materials included in the batteries and also the possible soil and water contamination, is leading the scientists to find new methods of restoring, reusing and expanding the life cycle of Lithium batteries.
The objective of the present work is to review the current status and future prospects of lithium batteries use and treatment as waste. The increasing importance of Lithium as well as its present applications, the storage and reuse methods as well as its constraints as an energy storage material will be highlighted in the work.