Frankia consortium extracts high-value metals from e-waste

Abstract

The microbial extraction method can be improved by adopting Frankia consortium native isolates with unique features for extracting high-value metals from e-waste. The goal of this research would be how native Frankia consortium isolates retrieved high-value elements from e-waste. Analytic techniques such as AAS, SEM with EDX, and XRD were used to examine the morphological arrangements and composition of high-value metal element resources in e-fine particles of e-waste. The detection reveals that high-value metal components such as Ag, Au, Cu, and Zn are present. The Frankia consortium was utilized in two leaching processes to bioleach high-value metal element resources from e-fine particles. Since the two-step bioleaching approach yielded the most effective high-value metal recovery when compared to the one-step bioleaching process. While comparing the two-step method to the one-step method, the synthesis of secondary metabolites, phosphatase enzyme, and organic acids by Frankia consortium was shown to be higher in the two-step method. The bioleaching process is mostly influenced by the above-mentioned Frankia consortium by-products. The FT-IR spectrum confirmed the existence of organic acids functional groups during the e-fine particle and Frankia consortium interactions. Leaching of high-value metal elements and control e-fine particles were found by AAS spectra analysis. As a result, the starting concentrations of high-value metal elements are Au (0.04 mg/g), Ag (0.04 mg/g), Cu (0.12 mg/g), and Zn (0.10 mg/g), respectively. As a consequence, the e-fine particles’ two-step at 0.2 percent density demonstrated that they are capable of leaching metal concentrations such as Au (0.11 mg/g), Ag (0.09 mg/g), Cu (0.17 mg/g), and Zn (0.15 mg/g). Analytical techniques such as XRD, SEM with EDX, AAS, and FT-IR were used to validate high-value metal resources recovered. • The Frankia consortium is the most effective at recovering high-value metal resources from e-waste. • The Frankia consortium’s gold (Au) and silver (Ag) were extremely recovered as compared to other metals. • The interaction between e-waste and the Frankia consortium was confirmed using SEM. • High-value metal resources recovered were validated using analytical techniques such as XRD, SEM with EDX, AAS, and FT-IR.