Innovative analytical approaches for sustainable e-waste management: advancing SDGs targets with metal recovery from e-waste

• Grant number: 24/17925-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Fabiola Manhas Verbi Pereira
• Grantee: Fabiola Manhas Verbi Pereira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This research project highlights the study's focus on sustainability, the analytical techniques employed, and its alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly: *SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) - Advancing analytical methodologies for material recovery and recycling. *SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) - Promoting efficient resource utilization in electronic waste recycling. *SDG 13 (Climate Action) - Reducing environmental impact through sustainable waste management. The development of innovative analytical approaches to optimize the recovery of precious metals (Au and Ag) and base metals (Cu and Sn), along with the combination of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES), energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF), and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), will be applied for material characterization. ICP OES will serve as the reference technique, while chemometric techniques will be employed to optimize experimental conditions, data processing, and exploratory analysis and to propose metal recovery routes within this research. This study has the potential to generate new synergistic approaches between analytical techniques, providing solutions to challenges in the chemical analysis of electronic waste, which has a significant economic and environmental impact. (AU)