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Sustainable Resource Utilization and Management of Electronic Waste: Innovations, Challenges, and Future Directions

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Waste and Recycling".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 6096

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Eleni Kastanaki

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece
Interests: solid waste management; waste valorization; biomass waste; resource recovery; circular economy; zero waste; electric and electronic waste; electric vehicle waste batteries; photovoltaic waste; sustainable resource utilization of solid waste; recycling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Giin Yu Amy Tan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Interests: environmental microbiology; bioprocesses; organic waste management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to contribute to the upcoming Special Issue, “Sustainable Resource Utilization and Management of Electronic Waste: Innovations, Challenges, and Future Directions”, of Sustainability. This Special Issue will consider the challenges related to managing electronic waste or e-waste, one of the fastest growing waste streams. As the global demand for electronic products continues to grow, addressing complex issues regarding e-waste management through sustainable strategies has become an urgent priority. E-waste management can have a significant positive economic impact, as it reduces production costs, generates profits from recycling and reusing valuable materials and components, reduces disposal costs, avoids fines, and promotes resource sustainability.

This Special Issue will explore innovative approaches to e-waste recycling, materials recovery, circular economy models, and policy frameworks that promote environmental sustainability and sustainable resource recovery. We welcome original research articles, review articles, and case studies that highlight advances in this subject.

Dr. Eleni Kastanaki
Dr. Giin Yu Amy Tan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • emerging e-waste recycling technologies
  • reuse of e-waste
  • advanced technologies for e-waste management
  • life cycle assessment and environmental impact of e-waste management
  • circular economy practices in e-waste management
  • remanufacturing e-waste
  • policy and regulatory frameworks for sustainable e-waste management
  • socio-economic impacts of e-waste recycling
  • innovations in design for dismantling and reuse

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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33 pages, 3230 KB  
Article
E-Waste Quantification and Machine Learning Forecasting in a Data-Scarce Context
by Abubakarr Sidique Mansaray, Alfred S. Bockarie, Mariatu Barrie-Sam, Mohamed A. Kamara, Monya Konneh, Billoh Gassama, Morrison M. Saidu, Musa Kabba, Alhaji Alhassan Sheriff, Juliet S. Norman, Foday Bainda and Joe M. Beah
Sustainability 2026, 18(3), 1287; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18031287 - 27 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1067
Abstract
Quantifying e-waste in Sub-Saharan Africa remains constrained by scarce data, weak institutional reporting, and the dominance of informal sector activity. We present the first nationwide assessment of e-waste generation and Random Forest-based national forecasting in Sierra Leone. A mixed-methods survey administered 6000 questionnaires [...] Read more.
Quantifying e-waste in Sub-Saharan Africa remains constrained by scarce data, weak institutional reporting, and the dominance of informal sector activity. We present the first nationwide assessment of e-waste generation and Random Forest-based national forecasting in Sierra Leone. A mixed-methods survey administered 6000 questionnaires across all 16 districts, targeting households, institutions, enterprises, and informal actors. The study documented devices in use, storage, and disposal across the following six categories: ICT, appliances, lighting, batteries, medical, and other electronics. Population growth and device adoption simulations were combined with lifespan distributions and a Random Forest model trained on survey and simulated historical data to construct e-waste flows and forecast quantities through to 2050, including disposal fate probabilities for repurposing versus discarding. The results showed sharp spatial disparities, with Western Urban (Freetown) averaging about 10 kg per capita compared to 1.8 kg per capita in rural areas. Long-term district patterns were highly concentrated: 50-year annual averages indicated that Western Area Urban contributes 15.3% of national totals, followed by Bo (12.7%) and Western Area Rural (12.1%), with the top five districts contributing 59.1%. By 2050, total national e-waste entering reuse and disposal pathways was projected to reach 23.4 kilo tons per year (kt yr−1) with a 95% uncertainty interval (UI) of 11–42 kt yr−1 (and a 99% interval extending to 50 kt yr−1), corresponding to 0.9–3.4 kg/capita/year. Household appliances dominated total mass, ICT devices exhibited high reuse rates, and batteries showed minimal reuse despite high hazard potential. These findings provide critical evidence for e-waste policy, regulation, and infrastructure planning in data-scarce regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Resource Utilization and Management of Electronic Waste: Innovations, Challenges, and Future Directions)
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23 pages, 2424 KB  
Article
Designing a Reverse Logistics Network for Electric Vehicle Battery Collection, Remanufacturing, and Recycling
by Aristotelis Lygizos, Eleni Kastanaki and Apostolos Giannis
Sustainability 2025, 17(17), 7643; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17177643 - 25 Aug 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3802
Abstract
The growing concern about climate change and increased carbon emissions has promoted the electric vehicle market. Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs) are now the prevailing technology in electromobility, and large amounts will soon reach their end-of-life (EoL). Most counties have not designed sustainable reverse logistics [...] Read more.
The growing concern about climate change and increased carbon emissions has promoted the electric vehicle market. Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs) are now the prevailing technology in electromobility, and large amounts will soon reach their end-of-life (EoL). Most counties have not designed sustainable reverse logistics networks to collect, remanufacture and recycle EoL electric vehicle batteries (EVBs). This study is focused on estimating the future EoL LIBs generation through dynamic material flow analysis using a three parameter Weibull distribution function under two scenarios for battery lifetime and then designing a reverse logistics network for the region of Attica (Greece), based on a generalizable modeling framework, to handle the discarded batteries up to 2040. The methodology considers three different battery handling strategies such as recycling, remanufacturing, and disposal. According to the estimated LIB waste generation in Attica, the designed network would annually manage between 5300 and 9600 tons of EoL EVBs by 2040. The optimal location for the collection and recycling centers considers fixed costs, processing costs, transportation costs, carbon emission tax and the number of EoL EVBs. The economic feasibility of the network is also examined through projected revenues from the sale of remanufactured batteries and recovered materials. The resulting discounted payback period ranges from 6.7 to 8.6 years, indicating strong financial viability. This research underscores the importance of circular economy principles and the management of EoL LIBs, which is a prerequisite for the sustainable promotion of the electric vehicle industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Resource Utilization and Management of Electronic Waste: Innovations, Challenges, and Future Directions)
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Review

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34 pages, 7099 KB  
Review
Research Progress on Prior Lithium Extraction from Spent Lithium-Ion Battery Cathode Materials via Pyrometallurgical Roasting
by Zhanyong Guo, Xiangrui Ren, Zihan Zhang, Zhen Feng and Fachuang Li
Sustainability 2026, 18(8), 4026; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18084026 - 17 Apr 2026
Viewed by 653
Abstract
The extensive application of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in electronic devices, electric vehicles, and related applications has significantly enhanced the quality of spent LIBs. As a critical component of LIBs, cathode materials contain substantial amounts of valuable metals (e.g., lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese), [...] Read more.
The extensive application of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in electronic devices, electric vehicles, and related applications has significantly enhanced the quality of spent LIBs. As a critical component of LIBs, cathode materials contain substantial amounts of valuable metals (e.g., lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese), and their efficient recovery offers significant environmental and economic advantages. Owing to its simple operating conditions, effective impurity removal, and high reaction efficiency, pyrometallurgical roasting has become an important approach for recycling spent LIB cathode materials. This review focuses on pyrometallurgical roasting technologies for prior lithium extraction from spent LIB cathodes. By examining the structural characteristics of different cathode materials and their property variations during recycling, the fundamental principles and characteristics of pyrometallurgical roasting are clarified. The applications of roasting-based prior lithium extraction in LIB recycling are systematically reviewed, covering conventional processes, emerging high-efficiency roasting routes, and other advanced strategies for prior lithium extraction. Finally, the development trends of pyrometallurgical roasting technologies for spent LIB cathode materials are discussed, with the objectives of supporting technological advancement in LIB recycling and facilitating the establishment of a more sustainable development framework for the battery industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Resource Utilization and Management of Electronic Waste: Innovations, Challenges, and Future Directions)
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