Biotechnology for Metal Recovery from End-of-Life Printed Circuit Boards with Aspergillus niger

Alessandro Becci, Dafina Karaj, Giulia Merli and Francesca Beolchini
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Alessandro Becci: Department of Life and Environmental Sciences-DiSVA, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Dafina Karaj: Department of Chemistry, Universiteti Politeknik I Tiranes, Sheshi Nënë Tereza, 1001 Tiranë, Albania
Giulia Merli: Department of Life and Environmental Sciences-DiSVA, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Francesca Beolchini: Department of Life and Environmental Sciences-DiSVA, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 16, 1-10

Abstract: The growing production and use of electric and electronic components has led to higher rates of metal consumption and waste generation. To solve this double criticality, the old linear management method (in which a product becomes waste to dispose), has evolved towards a circular approach. Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are the brains of many electronic devices. At the end of their life, this equipment represents a valuable scrap for the content of base metals such as Cu and Zn (25 and 2 wt %, respectively) and precious metals such as Au, Ag, and Pd (250, 1000, and 110 ppm, respectively). Recently, biotechnological approaches have gained increasing prominence in PCB exploitation since they can be more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly than the chemical techniques. In this context, the present paper describes a sustainable process which uses the fungal strain Aspergillus niger for Cu and Zn extraction from PCBs. The best conditions identified were PCB addition after 14 days, Fe 3+ as oxidant agent, and a pulp density of 2.5% ( w/v ). Extraction efficiencies of 60% and 40% for Cu and Zn, respectively, were achieved after 21 days of fermentation. The ecodesign of the process was further enhanced by using milk whey as substrate for the fungal growth and the consequent citric acid production, which was selected as a bioleaching agent.

Keywords: printed circuit boards; biotechnologies; circular economy; Aspergillus niger; copper; zinc; food waste (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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