| dc.description.abstract | With the increasing demand for metals in many industries, there is a growing need for improved
methods of metal recovery. For the management of electronic waste (E-waste), numerous
studies have been conducted on extracting metals using technologies such as pyrometallurgy,
hydrometallurgy, and biometallurgy. Bioprocessing can help recover metals from secondary
sources such as E-waste and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).
This research review aims to examine methods, focusing mainly on biological based methods
for recovering metals from LIBs and E-waste, and to identify research gaps and areas for further
research. This thesis contains a comprehensive overview of the metal recovery technologies
from E-waste and LIBs, highlighting their benefits and drawbacks. A scoping literature review
based on published articles and reviews using different keywords in Scopus database has been
provided to give a complete overview of metal recovery from E-waste and LIBs using green
technologies such as bioleaching and biosorption.
Implementation of biotechnology is essential in achieving the goal of minimising waste,
conserving valuable metals, and mitigating the negative environmental impact of metal
extraction. Improving bioprocessing methods can provide the industry with an eco-friendly
technology to address the challenges of the increasing lithium (Li) demand and waste from
LIBs in the future. Despite the increased research effort regarding the use of biotechnological
methods for metal recovery, the research is only in the early stages. Biotechnological based
methods have a promising future. However, further large-scale research and pilot studies on
microbial technology for metal recovery are needed to facilitate industrial upscaling. | |
