Sustainability in electronics industry: recovery of metals from electronic waste

• Grant number: 14/02264-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2014
• End date: February 28, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Extractive Metallurgy
• Principal Investigator: Denise Crocce Romano Espinosa
• Grantee: Clara Souza de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 12/51871-9 - Study Center for Technology in Waste Solid Treatment and Recycling - SCTWSTR, AP.TEM

Abstract

Due to technological advancement, responsible for diminishing equipment's lifetime and increasing consumption by increasing purchasing power, the disposal of electronic waste is growing at an accelerated rate. Thus, the development of processes for recycling and reuse of electronic waste is of paramount importance. In this respect, the use of microorganisms in processes for obtaining metals appears to be an interesting alternative as these technologies have a wide range of applications. Such that, this project aims to study the bioleaching applied to the treatment of electronic waste in order to recover materials.