The hazards, treatment measures and sustainable development of electronic waste

Abstract

The faster upgrading and the rising consumer’s demand for electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) results in an ever-increasing number of waste electrical and electronic items (WEEE), which became a severe pollution problem at both local and global scales. This paper presents the current six categories of EEE that are widely used for electronic waste (E-waste) management worldwide and the major component of E-waste: non-hazardous materials, heavy metal, and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). To learn about E-waste’s negative impacts on both environment and the human body, this paper will show the specific polluting route in air, water, and soil. Those pollutants would affect the environment through burning and directly released into the air, penetrating and leaking into water and soil. The polluted environment and the poor sanitary conditions will further destroy people’s health. This paper shows and summarizes the development of current E-waste management, from direct landfill to chemical disposal, to today’s eco-friendly way--bioleaching. Future E-waste disposal technology needs to become more environmentally friendly and more efficient for reusable material recovery. Therefore, we hope that E-waste management can closely connect with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We need to apply SDGs into every aspect of E-waste management, which can significantly reduce the adverse effects of E-waste and be beneficial for the electronic industry.