Review: Biorecovery of precious metals from waste printed circuit boards

作者：Wuyi Ming, Shunchang Hu, Xiaofei Zhang, Jun Ma, Wei He, Yue Xu, Hongyan Wang, Yingjie Xu, Wujun Xing, Zhijun Chen, Xiaoke Li · 发表于：Minerals Engineering · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109306 · 被引用次数：11 · 研究领域：Recycling and Waste Management Techniques、Extraction and Separation Processes、Microplastics and Plastic Pollution

Presently, as electronic waste continues to surge, waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) have emerged as one of the fastest-growing waste category. This causes severe environmental pollution and threats to human health. However, there are many precious metals in WPCBs. To achieve environmental conservation and sustainable development , adopting biorecovery techniques for the extraction/reuse of WPCBs has become a promising approach. Firstly, this review provided an overview of e-waste material categorization, pretreatment methods, and screening methods. Secondly, biorecovery was decomposed into two primary domains: bioleaching and biosorption , with detailed reviews conducted on the mechanisms and leaching yields of these two processes. Thirdly, a review of purification techniques for bioleaching solutions was conducted. Finally, a comprehensive comparison was conducted on the similarities and differences between bioleaching and biosorption. The maximum bioleaching leaching yields for Au, Ag, and Pt were approximately 76.6%, 90%, and 60%, respectively, while the maximum biosorption leaching yields for Au was approximately 100%. This review aims to establish a foundation for the application of biorecovery at an industrial scale.