VATIS UPDATE Article

Mahdokht Arshadi, a researcher from Islamic Republic of Iran, has recycled electronic waste using biological methods managing to recover gold and copper. “E-waste is a term for electronic products that have become unwanted, non-working or obsolete, and have essentially reached the end of their useful life and need to be recycled or buried. Normally, e-wastes are buried and due to containing harmful metals such as arsenic, mercury, cadmium or lead, upon burial they enter the human food chain and ultimately threaten human health,” said Arshadi.

Arshadi highlighted that in addition to hazardous metals, e-wastes contain certain useful metals as well; “given that gold and copper mines are running out, e-waste marks a good supplying source as a result of containing more than 50 types of metals. By exploiting proper methods, the seemingly harmful e-waste can turn into an important alternative to important minerals which are coming to an end.”

Arshadi further added that “we managed to recycle e-waste through a biological method exploiting two indigenous bacteria in order to extract gold and copper.” Consisted of a two-step process on the basis of bio-leaching procedures, the new method is simple, inexpensive and environmentally friendly. The benefits of the newly-developed biological method including being cost-effective, producing a high rate of value-added as well as preventing environmental problems.