State-of-the-art review on the Potentiality of Microorganisms for extracting metals from E-Waste i.e, PCBs of Mobile phones and Computers

Abstract

ABSTRACT Due to scientific and technological advancements, there is an increase in electrical and electronic items globally. Simultaneously, the exponential rise in electronic waste (e-waste) is also reported, a primary concern due to its harmful effect on humans and the environment. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop an economical, ecological, environmentally friendly, and easy technique for recycling e-waste. The extraction of metal via bioleaching is one of the techniques for the same. It is advantageous as it lowers the production cost, decreases environmental pollution, effectively extracts metals, has a lesser environmental impact, functions with diluted waste streams, operates at ambient temperatures and pressures, and has minimum secondary waste production. The present review highlights the potentiality of micro-organisms for retrieving metals from e-waste like printed circuit boards (PCBs) of obsolete mobile phones & computers by bioleaching processing as a sustainable method. Various are used to recover the metals like Cu, Ni, Ag, Au, etc. The effectiveness of these microorganisms enhances the bioleaching processing for extracting metals from obsolete mobile phones and computers as e-waste. Therefore, natural things (i.e. microorganisms) can be more wisely used to clean nature (e-waste) and get beneficial by recovering precious metals by a sustainable approach and, therefore, helpful in the circular economy. Therefore, reducing e-waste with the production of metals by bioleaching is an essential area of interest for the planet’s welfare.