Metal Extraction and Recovery Technologies from E-Waste

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Manufacturing Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 240

Special Issue Editors

Center for Water Research, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, China
Interests: advanced functional materials; heavy metal; resource recovery

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Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Interests: waste valorization; mechanochemistry; critical metal recovery; solid-state chemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

E-waste has become one of the fastest-growing solid waste streams worldwide, containing both hazardous substances and valuable metals. Efficient extraction and recovery of metals from e-waste are crucial for mitigating environmental risks, promoting resource circularity, and supporting sustainable industrial development.
This Special Issue on “Metal Extraction and Recovery Technologies from E-Waste” seeks high-quality works focusing on innovative technologies, mechanisms, and applications related to metal extraction and recovery from e-waste. Topics include, but are not limited to: 

  • Advanced physical and chemical pre-treatment methods for E-waste.
  • Innovative metal extraction approaches, including hydrometallurgy, bioleaching, mechanochemistry, and molten salts/ionic liquids.
  • Efficient recovery and purification processes (solvent extraction, electrochemical methods, adsorption, ion exchange, membrane separation).
  • Process integration, scale-up strategies, and green engineering approaches.
  • High-value utilization of recovered metals.
  • Environmental and sustainability assessments, including life cycle analysis and techno-economic evaluations.

Dr. Ying Zhou
Dr. Shengshou Ma
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • E-waste recycling
  • metal extraction
  • hydrometallurgy
  • bioleaching
  • pyrometallurgy
  • mechanochemistry
  • sustainable recycling
  • waste valorization
  • techno-economic analysis

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 3163 KB  
Article
A Predictive Diffusion Model for Designing a Desensitization Heat Treatment in Steels with Cu Impurities
by Ruthvik Gandra, Pranav Acharya, Tetiana Shyrokykh, Charlotte Mayer, Sebastien Hollinger, Narayanan Neithalath and Seetharaman Sridhar
Processes 2026, 14(10), 1603; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14101603 - 15 May 2026
Abstract
The high-rate recycling of scrap steel introduces persistent residual copper (Cu), which accumulates at prior austenite grain boundaries at the surface, during high-temperature reheating, leading to Cu-induced sensitization and deleterious “hot shortness”. To address this, a predictive analytical framework was derived using Fick’s [...] Read more.
The high-rate recycling of scrap steel introduces persistent residual copper (Cu), which accumulates at prior austenite grain boundaries at the surface, during high-temperature reheating, leading to Cu-induced sensitization and deleterious “hot shortness”. To address this, a predictive analytical framework was derived using Fick’s Second Law and the Sekerka, Jeanfils, and Heckel (SJH) approach to model the dissolution of Cu-rich films as a 1D planar moving boundary problem. The validity of this analytical framework was first established through experimentation on controlled Cu-coated steel wire rods, where theoretical concentration profiles showed strong agreement with empirical depth profiles. When applied to a 0.21 wt.% Cu steel at 1000 °C, the model predicted a critical extinction time (t*) of approximately 8.57 min for the complete dissolution of a 20 nm sensitized film. Experimental trials on sensitized wire rods confirmed this prediction, demonstrating an 89% reduction in the frequency of detectable sensitized zones and a significant decrease in zone width following a 10 min thermal dwell. The approach provides a standardized, scalable, and composition-adaptable methodology, grounded in a 1D planar approximation, for optimizing desensitization heat treatments across a range of Cu contents, offering a practical strategy to increase scrap steel utilization while mitigating hot shortness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal Extraction and Recovery Technologies from E-Waste)
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