Bioremediation Technology for Electronic Waste

Increasing demands for electronic gadgets and appliances, such as Computers, peripherals, Electronic gadgets, mobile phones, Televisions, Toys etc. in modern civilized society and continuous up-gradation of technology has increased electronic waste (E-waste). The old and obsolete appliances are being dumped unmanaged as solid waste causing a new kind of health hazard. The E-waste mainly adds a number of heavy metal pollutants to the environment. With this rationale, there is an urgent need to develop a suitable, efficacious and feasible technology to remediate Ewaste. The present model based on Microbial Biotechnology has the potential to solve the problem of managing E-waste through bioremediation.

This model focuses on treating the E-waste using comprehensive physicochemical and biotechnological approaches. In this method of remediation, E-waste is initially collected and all the plastic and other recyclable materials are removed and sent to the recycling mart for reuse.

The remaining hazardous metallic waste is sent to crushing chamber. The crushed matter is passed through mesh. Large chunks are diverted to a furnace for melting and recycling, remaining powdered parts are transported to a chamber containing acid to solubilize the metals.

The metal enriched acid is further diluted and then treated with microorganisms, metal binding proteins, biochelators and enzymes for leaching and biotransformation to less toxic form.

After passing through each tank of bioagents the concentration of toxic heavy metals gradually decreases. The effluent is tested for the heavy metal content intermittently and when the toxicity is below permissible limit the effluent water is discharged for use in irrigation.