Recycling E-Waste and the Sustainable Economy: A Bibliometric Exploration
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
2.1. E-Waste Recycling: A Sustainable Imperative
2.2. E-Waste Recycling Behavior
2.3. Research Trends in E-Waste Recycling
3. Research Methods
3.1. Data Collection
3.2. Research Methodology
3.2.1. Co-Citation Analysis
3.2.2. Analysis of Co-Occurrence
3.2.3. Analysis of the Topic
4. Results and Discussion
4.1. Data Visualization
4.2. Author Citation Productivity
4.3. Journal Productivity
4.4. Research Theme
- Cluster 1 (in red)—Influence of organic pollutants
- Cluster 2 (in green)—E-waste management and recycling in developing nations
- Cluster 3 (in blue)—Research on recovery and recycling of used materials
5. Conclusions
5.1. Summary
- Question 1: Which countries and journals exhibit the most robust research activity in E-waste recycling?
- Question 2: Who are the most highly co-cited authors, the journals, and the references in the field of E-waste recycling?
- Question 3: How have E-waste recycling studies evolved from 1990 to 2022?
- Question 4: What are the prevailing research trends in the global E-waste recycling domain?
5.2. Contribution
5.3. Limitations and Future Research
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
References
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Languages | Number of Docs | Ratios |
---|---|---|
English | 3241 | 99.20% |
Portuguese | 6 | 0.18% |
German | 5 | 0.15% |
Spanish | 5 | 0.15% |
Chinese | 2 | 0.06% |
Japanese | 2 | 0.06% |
Type | Documents |
---|---|
Article | 2736 |
Review | 357 |
Proceedings paper | 61 |
Article; early access | 38 |
Editorial material | 23 |
Review; abstract | 14 |
Meeting; abstract | 12 |
News item | 12 |
Letter | 5 |
Correction | 4 |
Review; book chapter | 4 |
Retraction | 1 |
Total | 3267 |
Country | Region | Documents | Ratios |
---|---|---|---|
China | Asia | 1342 | 41.08% |
United States | Americas | 366 | 11.20% |
India | Asia | 285 | 8.72% |
Australia | Australia | 198 | 6.06% |
United Kingdom | Europe | 149 | 4.56% |
Japan | Asia | 143 | 4.38% |
Germany | Europe | 123 | 3.76% |
Italy | Europe | 119 | 3.64% |
Canada | Americas | 105 | 3.21% |
Netherlands | Europe | 82 | 2.51% |
Journal | Research Areas | Docs | Country | H-Index | IF | SJR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Waste Management | Environmental science | 241 | U.K. | 201 | 8.816 | 1.75 Q1 |
Journal of Cleaner Production | Business, management, and accounting; energy; engineering; environmental science | 200 | U.K. | 268 | 11.072 | 1.98 Q1 |
Environmental Science and Pollution Research | Environmental science; pharmacology | 170 | Germany | 154 | 5.19 | 0.94 Q1 |
Science of the Total Environment | Environmental science | 168 | The Netherlands | 317 | 10.754 | 1.95 Q1 |
Resources, Conservation, and Recycling | Environmental science; economics, econometrics, and finance | 161 | The Netherlands | 170 | 13.716 | 2.86 Q1 |
Environmental Pollution | Environmental science; pharmacology; toxicology and pharmaceutics | 117 | U.K. | 275 | 9.988 | 2.11 Q1 |
Sustainability | Computer science; energy; environmental science; social sciences | 102 | Switzerland | 136 | 3.889 | 0.66 Q1 |
Environmental Science & Technology | Chemistry; environmental science; pharmacology | 99 | U.S.A. | 456 | 11.357 | 3.12 Q1 |
Chemosphere | Chemistry; environmental science; pharmacology | 96 | U.K. | 288 | 8.943 | 1.73 Q1 |
Journal of Hazardous Materials | Environmental science | 80 | The Netherlands | 329 | 14.224 | 2.57 Q1 |
Author | Affiliation | Country | Citations | TLS | H-Index |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zheng, X.L. | University of Calgary | Canada | 595 | 10.343 | 50 |
Leung, A.O.W. | Hong Kong Baptist University | Hong Kong | 488 | 8.557 | N/A |
Li, J.H. | Tsinghua University | China | 473 | 8.376 | 127 |
Song, Q.B. | Macau University of Science and Technology | China | 418 | 8.099 | 36 |
Awasthi, A.K. | Nanjing University Nanjing China | India | 409 | 7.231 | 19 |
Cui, J.R. | University of Toronto | Canada | 502 | 6.944 | 12 |
Li, J. | Tsinghua University | China | 364 | 6.282 | 98 |
Robinson, B.H. | University of Washington | America | 372 | 5.605 | 59 |
Nnorom, I.C. | Abia State University | Nigeria | 319 | 5.568 | 31 |
Kumar, A. | IIT (BHU) Varanasi | India | 374 | 5.306 | 152 |
Journal | Citations | TLS |
---|---|---|
Environmental Science & Technology | 10,905 | 480.086 |
Waste Management | 8779 | 403.737 |
Chemosphere | 6085 | 354.244 |
Science of the Total Environment | 5557 | 309.698 |
Journal of Cleaner Production | 6466 | 296.141 |
Journal of Hazardous Materials | 5411 | 287.585 |
Resources, Conservation, and Recycling | 5393 | 243.209 |
Environmental Pollution | 3985 | 225.700 |
Environment International | 3816 | 221.645 |
Hydrometallurgy | 2447 | 142.551 |
Keywords | Frequency | TLS |
---|---|---|
E-waste | 903 | 4.461 |
Electronic waste | 728 | 3.508 |
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers | 460 | 2.683 |
Recycling | 585 | 2.500 |
Recovery | 505 | 2.422 |
Brominated flame retardants | 312 | 1.741 |
Management | 344 | 1.728 |
WEEE | 355 | 1.681 |
China | 293 | 1.674 |
Printed—circuit boards | 290 | 1.635 |
Cluster | Keywords | Pros | Cons |
---|---|---|---|
Cluster 1 (red) | Polybrominated, exposure, children, dibenzo-dioxins, heavy metals, lead, brominated, flame retardants | Exploring the influence of E-waste on human health through a deeper understanding of health impacts can lead to community health awareness. By emphasizing factors related to the impact of E-waste on human health, community awareness of this issue is raised. Furthermore, these discoveries regarding the impact of pollutants can promote health protection measures against the adverse effects of E-waste, further strengthening the link between them. | The challenges related to data completion in research can potentially result in information loss or errors in data collection and analysis. It, in turn, may lead to an inaccurate understanding of health impacts. Additionally, while findings on health impacts can promote protective measures, they may also bring about behavioral change challenges, as changing behaviors and habits may face difficulties and require adjustments. Therefore, the challenges of data completion and potential information loss are interconnected and can influence the effectiveness of promoting health protection measures and behavioral change. |
Cluster 2 (green) | E-waste, management, WEEE, circular, economy, equipment, sustainability, performance | The increasing adoption of recycling and system improvement strategies in the E-waste industry can not only create competitive opportunities but also drive innovation and creativity. Furthermore, these strategies can help businesses minimize production costs and reduce E-waste by reusing electronic devices. As a result, they make significant contributions to both cost optimization and environmental protection. | The successful implementation of recycling and system improvement strategies within businesses and management can face various challenges, such as difficulties in execution and the need to change the organizational culture. Moreover, consumers play a crucial role in shaping recycling approaches, and their willingness to alter habits may only sometimes be forthcoming. Additionally, while these strategies can potentially reduce production costs, their economic effectiveness may require an initial investment in training and technology updates. |
Cluster 3 (blue) | Electronic, waste, recycling, recovery, mobile phone, efficiency, classification | Addressing these challenges in implementing recycling and system improvement strategies is essential for promoting sustainable practices. Implementing these strategies within businesses and management may sometimes be complicated and can involve difficulties in execution, along with the need to change the organizational culture. Moreover, achieving success in changing the approach to recycling often requires active engagement and interaction from consumers, who may only sometimes be willing to alter their habits. Furthermore, while these strategies have the potential to reduce production costs, they may also necessitate an initial investment in training and technology updates, making economic effectiveness a critical consideration in their adoption. | Overcoming the technological and process challenges associated with recovering and recycling materials from used electronic devices is a crucial step in promoting sustainability. These challenges may entail the development and implementation of complex technologies and processes, making it essential to invest in research and innovation. Ensuring the quality of materials recovered from used electronic devices is another challenge that needs to be addressed to guarantee the safety and effectiveness of recycling and reuse processes. Additionally, promoting recycling and material recovery from old electronic devices involves changing consumer and business habits and raising awareness about the importance of these practices for a sustainable future. These interconnected challenges necessitate collaborative efforts and innovative solutions to drive positive change in the E-waste recycling landscape. |
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Le, M.-H.; Lu, W.-M.; Chang, J.-C. Recycling E-Waste and the Sustainable Economy: A Bibliometric Exploration. Sustainability 2023, 15, 16108. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152216108
Le M-H, Lu W-M, Chang J-C. Recycling E-Waste and the Sustainable Economy: A Bibliometric Exploration. Sustainability. 2023; 15(22):16108. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152216108
Chicago/Turabian StyleLe, Minh-Hieu, Wen-Min Lu, and Jui-Chen Chang. 2023. "Recycling E-Waste and the Sustainable Economy: A Bibliometric Exploration" Sustainability 15, no. 22: 16108. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152216108
APA StyleLe, M.-H., Lu, W.-M., & Chang, J.-C. (2023). Recycling E-Waste and the Sustainable Economy: A Bibliometric Exploration. Sustainability, 15(22), 16108. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152216108