Regional economic potential for recycling consumer waste electronics in the United States

Peng, Peng; Shehabi, Arman

doi:10.1038/s41893-022-00983-9

Regional economic potential for recycling consumer waste electronics in the United States

Journal Article · Thu Nov 03 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Nature Sustainability

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-00983-9· OSTI ID:2278641

^[1]; ^[1]

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Waste electronics are a growing environmental concern but also contain materials of great economic value. If properly recycled, waste electronics could enhance the sustainability of vital metal supply chains by offsetting the increasing demand for virgin mining. However, rapid changes in the size and composition of electronics complicate their end-of-life management. Here we couple material flow and geospatial analyses on over 90 critical consumer electronic products and find that over 1 billion devices, representing up to 1.5 million tonnes of mass, could be discarded annually in the United States by 2033. Emerging electronics such as connected home, health and augmented/virtual reality devices have become the fastest-growing types in the waste stream. Here we highlight policy opportunities to develop various sustainable circularity strategies around metal supply chains by showing the potential to integrate waste electronics and virgin mining pathways in western US regions, while new infrastructure designed specifically for waste electronics treatment is favourable in the central and eastern United States. Furthermore, we show the importance of building national-level refining and tear-down databases to improve electronics end-of-life management in the next decade.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 2278641

Journal Information:: Nature Sustainability, Journal Name: Nature Sustainability Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 6; ISSN 2398-9629

Publisher:: Springer NatureCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (40)

Recovering Plastics from Electronics Waste Riise, Brian The Minerals, Metals & Materials Series https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36830-2_28	book	January 2020
Electronic waste generation, regulation and metal recovery: a review Nithya, Rajarathinam; Sivasankari, Chandrasekaran; Thirunavukkarasu, Arunachalam Environmental Chemistry Letters, Vol. 19, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-020-01111-9	journal	October 2020
Fate of bromine in pyrolysis of printed circuit board wastes Chien, Yi-Chi; Paul Wang, H.; Lin, Kuen-Song Chemosphere, Vol. 40, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0045-6535(99)00251-9	journal	February 2000
Bioaccumulation of short chain chlorinated paraffins in a typical freshwater food web contaminated by e-waste in south china: Bioaccumulation factors, tissue distribution, and trophic transfer Sun, Runxia; Luo, Xiaojun; Tang, Bin Environmental Pollution, Vol. 222 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2016.12.060	journal	March 2017
Techno economic analysis of electronic waste processing through black copper smelting route Ghodrat, Maryam; Rhamdhani, M. Akbar; Brooks, Geoffrey Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 126 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.03.033	journal	July 2016
Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling for a sustainable resource supply in the electronics industry in China Gu, Yifan; Wu, Yufeng; Xu, Ming Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 127 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.04.041	journal	July 2016
E-waste in Australia: Generation estimation and untapped material recovery and revenue potential Islam, Md Tasbirul; Huda, Nazmul Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 237 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.117787	journal	November 2019
Material flow analysis (MFA) as a strategic tool in E-waste management: Applications, trends and future directions Islam, Md Tasbirul; Huda, Nazmul Journal of Environmental Management, Vol. 244 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.05.062	journal	August 2019
Socio-economic impact of the e-waste pollution in India Purushothaman, Manjula; Inamdar, Mohd. Gousuddin; Muthunarayanan, Vasanthy Materials Today: Proceedings, Vol. 37 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.05.242	journal	January 2021
Estimating flows and metal recovery values of waste printed circuit boards in Australian e-waste Golev, Artem; Corder, Glen D.; Rhamdhani, M. Akbar Minerals Engineering, Vol. 137 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mineng.2019.04.017	journal	June 2019
The story of rare earth elements (REEs): Occurrences, global distribution, genesis, geology, mineralogy and global production Dushyantha, Nimila; Batapola, Nadeera; Ilankoon, I. M. S. K. Ore Geology Reviews, Vol. 122 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2020.103521	journal	July 2020
Electronic waste as a secondary source of critical metals: Management and recovery technologies Işıldar, Arda; Rene, Eldon R.; van Hullebusch, Eric D. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Vol. 135 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.07.031	journal	August 2018
Recovery of waste printed circuit boards through pyrometallurgical processing: A review Wang, Huaidong; Zhang, Shuhao; Li, Bin Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Vol. 126 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.08.001	journal	November 2017
Using material flow analysis and life cycle assessment in decision support: A case study on WEEE valorization in Belgium De Meester, Steven; Nachtergaele, Pieter; Debaveye, Sam Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Vol. 142 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.10.015	journal	March 2019
Forecasting electronic waste flows for effective circular economy planning Althaf, Shahana; Babbitt, Callie W.; Chen, Roger Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Vol. 151 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.05.038	journal	December 2019
Copper and critical metals production from porphyry ores and E-wastes: A review of resource availability, processing/recycling challenges, socio-environmental aspects, and sustainability issues Tabelin, Carlito Baltazar; Park, Ilhwan; Phengsaart, Theerayut Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Vol. 170 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105610	journal	July 2021
E-waste: An assessment of global production and environmental impacts Robinson, Brett H. Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 408, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2009.09.044	journal	December 2009
Improving waste electric and electronic equipment management at full-scale by using material flow analysis and life cycle assessment Fiore, Silvia; Ibanescu, Dumitrita; Teodosiu, Carmen Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 659 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.417	journal	April 2019
Recycling-oriented characterization of plastic frames and printed circuit boards from mobile phones by electronic and chemical imaging Palmieri, Roberta; Bonifazi, Giuseppe; Serranti, Silvia Waste Management, Vol. 34, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2014.06.003	journal	November 2014
Recovery of metals and nonmetals from electronic waste by physical and chemical recycling processes Kaya, Muammer Waste Management, Vol. 57 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2016.08.004	journal	November 2016
Where next on e-waste in Australia? Golev, Artem; Schmeda-Lopez, Diego R.; Smart, Simon K. Waste Management, Vol. 58 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2016.09.025	journal	December 2016
Economic evaluation of an electrochemical process for the recovery of metals from electronic waste Diaz, Luis A.; Lister, Tedd E. Waste Management, Vol. 74 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2017.11.050	journal	April 2018
Comprehensive characterization of printed circuit boards of various end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment for beneficiation investigation No authors listed Waste Management, Vol. 75 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2018.02.014	journal	May 2018
Estimation of electronic waste using optimized multivariate grey models Duman, Gazi Murat; Kongar, Elif; Gupta, Surendra M. Waste Management, Vol. 95 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2019.06.023	journal	July 2019
Modeling Metal Stocks and Flows: A Review of Dynamic Material Flow Analysis Methods Müller, Esther; Hilty, Lorenz M.; Widmer, Rolf Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 48, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1021/es403506a	journal	February 2014
Disassembly-based bill of materials data for consumer electronic products Babbitt, Callie W.; Madaka, Hema; Althaf, Shahana Scientific Data, Vol. 7, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-0573-9	journal	July 2020
Illegal electronic waste recycling trends Zabala, Aiora Nature Sustainability, Vol. 2, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0289-z	journal	May 2019
Solar-driven reforming of solid waste for a sustainable future Uekert, Taylor; Pichler, Christian M.; Schubert, Teresa Nature Sustainability, Vol. 4, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-00650-x	journal	November 2020
Selective recovery of precious metals through photocatalysis Chen, Yao; Xu, Mengjiao; Wen, Jieya Nature Sustainability, Vol. 4, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00697-4	journal	March 2021
Circular economy and electronic waste Awasthi, Abhishek Kumar; Li, Jinhui; Koh, Lenny Nature Electronics, Vol. 2, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928-019-0225-2	journal	March 2019
Advancements in the treatment and processing of electronic waste with sustainability: a review of metal extraction and recovery technologies Hsu, Emily; Barmak, Katayun; West, Alan C. Green Chemistry, Vol. 21, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1039/C8GC03688H	journal	January 2019
Supercritical CO ₂ -induced alteration of a polymer–metal matrix and selective extraction of valuable metals from waste printed circuit boards Peng, Peng; Park, Ah-Hyung Alissa Green Chemistry, Vol. 22, Issue 20 https://doi.org/10.1039/D0GC02521F	journal	January 2020
Plastics in the US: toward a material flow characterization of production, markets and end of life Heller, Martin C.; Mazor, Michael H.; Keoleian, Gregory A. Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 15, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab9e1e	journal	August 2020
The evolution of consumer electronic waste in the United States Althaf, Shahana; Babbitt, Callie W.; Chen, Roger Journal of Industrial Ecology, Vol. 25, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13074	journal	October 2020
Material system analysis: Functional and nonfunctional cobalt in the EU, 2012–2016 Godoy León, María Fernanda; Matos, Cristina T.; Georgitzikis, Konstantinos Journal of Industrial Ecology, Vol. 26, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13281	journal	July 2022
Generation amount prediction and material flow analysis of electronic waste: a case study in Beijing, China Liu, Xianbing; Tanaka, Masaru; Matsui, Yasuhiro Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy, Vol. 24, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X06067449	journal	October 2006
Gold Recovery from Printed Circuit Boards of Mobile Phones Scraps Using a Leaching Solution Alternative to Cyanide Kasper, Angela Cristina; Veit, Hugo Marcelo Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol. 35, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1590/0104-6632.20180353s20170291	journal	September 2018
Contamination and Health Risk Assessment of Exposure to Heavy Metals in Soils from Informal E-Waste Recycling Site in Ghana Kyere, Vincent N.; Greve, Klaus; Atiemo, Sampson M. Emerging Science Journal, Vol. 2, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.28991/esj-2018-01162	journal	December 2018
E-Wastes: Bridging the Knowledge Gaps in Global Production Budgets, Composition, Recycling and Sustainability Implications Ghimire, Hem; Ariya, Parisa A. Sustainable Chemistry, Vol. 1, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.3390/suschem1020012	journal	September 2020
Disassembly-based bill of materials data for consumer electronic products Babbitt, Callie W.; Madaka, Hema; Althaf, Shahana figshare https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.11306792	dataset	January 2020

Similar Records

Challenges to achievement of metal sustainability in our high-tech society

Journal Article · Tue Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 2013 · Chemical Society Reviews · OSTI ID:1126971

Circular economy priorities for photovoltaics in the energy transition

Journal Article · Fri Sep 09 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · PLoS ONE · OSTI ID:1886412

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
economics
electrical and electronic engineering
policy
sustainability

Regional economic potential for recycling consumer waste electronics in the United States

Citation Formats

References (40)

Similar Records

Related Subjects