Journal Article10.1126/SCIENCE.1217501
Challenges in metal recycling.
TL;DR: The most beneficial actions that could improve recycling rates are increased collection rates of discarded products, improved design for recycling, and the enhanced deployment of modern recycling methodology.
read more
Abstract: Metals are infinitely recyclable in principle, but in practice, recycling is often inefficient or essentially nonexistent because of limits imposed by social behavior, product design, recycling technologies, and the thermodynamics of separation. We review these topics, distinguishing among common, specialty, and precious metals. The most beneficial actions that could improve recycling rates are increased collection rates of discarded products, improved design for recycling, and the enhanced deployment of modern recycling methodology. As a global society, we are currently far away from a closed-loop material system. Much improvement is possible, but limitations of many kinds--not all of them technological--will preclude complete closure of the materials cycle.
read more
Chat with Paper
AI Agents for this Paper
Find similar papers on Google Scholar, PubMed and Arxiv
Write a critical review of this paper
Analyze citations of this paper to find unaddressed research gaps
Citations
Perspectives for the recovery of rare earths from end-of-life fluorescent lamps
Koen Binnemans,Peter Tom Jones +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the advantages and disadvantages of the three main options for the recycling of rare-earth elements from end-of-life fluorescent lamps are discussed: (1) direct re-use of the lamp phosphor mixture; (2) separation of lamp phosphors into the different phosphor components; (3) recovery of the rare earth content.
184
Extraction and separation of heavy rare earth elements: A review
TL;DR: A detailed review on the advanced technologies for the separation and purification of HREEs in recent ten years including both liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and solid-liquid separation (SLP) can be found in this article.
182
Material efficiency: providing material services with less material production
TL;DR: This paper aims to give an overview of current thinking on the topic of material efficiency, spanning environmental, engineering, economics, sociology and policy issues.
181
Comparative assessment of metallurgical recovery of metals from electronic waste with special emphasis on bioleaching
Anshu Priya,Subrata Hait +1 more
TL;DR: The present review provides a comprehensive assessment on the metallurgical techniques for recovery of metals from e-waste with special emphasis on bioleaching process and the associated factors.
175
Circular Economy Concept in the Context of Economic Development in EU Countries
TL;DR: In this paper, an econometric model was formed where GDP was identified as an independent variable, while the dependent variables were the production of waste per capita, the recycling rate of municipal waste, recycling rates of packaging waste by type of packaging, and the recycling of bio-waste.
169
References
Present status of transparent conducting oxide thin-film development for Indium-Tin-Oxide (ITO) substitutes
TL;DR: In this article, the present status and prospects for further development of transparent conducting oxide materials for use as Indium-Tin-Oxide (ITO) substitutes in the thin-film transparent electrodes of liquid crystal displays (LCDs), currently the largest use of ITO, and thus, of indium.
722
What Do We Know About Metal Recycling Rates
Thomas E. Graedel,Julian M. Allwood,Jean-Pierre Birat,Matthias Buchert,Christian Hagelüken,Barbara K. Reck,Scott F. Sibley,Guido Sonnemann +7 more
TL;DR: The recycling of metals is widely viewed as a fruitful sustainability strategy, but little information is available on the degree to which recycling is actually taking place as discussed by the authors, which is a concern.
A review of the environmental fate and effects of hazardous substances released from electrical and electronic equipments during recycling: Examples from China and India
Alejandra Sepúlveda,Mathias Schluep,Fabrice G. Renaud,Martin Streicher,Ruediger Kuehr,Christian Hagelüken,Andreas C. Gerecke +6 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present data found in the scientific and grey literature about concentrations of lead (Pb), polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated dioxins and furans as well as poly brominated doxins and derivatives (PCDD/Fs and PBDD/Fs) monitored in various environmental compartments in China and India, two countries where informal WEEE recycling plays an important economic role.
629
Informal electronic waste recycling: A sector review with special focus on China
TL;DR: Information on informal e-waste management is gathered, a look at its particular manifestations in China is taken, and some of the main difficulties of the current Chinese approach are identified.
592
Assessment of Precious Metal Flows During Preprocessing of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
TL;DR: In this article, substance flow analysis (SFA) on a process level can be used for a holistic approach, covering technical improvement at process scale, optimization of product life cycles, and contributing to knowledge on economywide material cycles.
376