Metal solubilization from powdered printed circuit boards by microbial consortium from bauxite and pyrite ores

With the current rapid developments in technology, there is an increasing accumulation of out-dated electronic equipment. The primary reason for this increase is the low rate of recycling due to the complex nature of such waste. Bioleaching offers a promising solution for this problem. Study was con...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied biochemistry and microbiology 2013-05, Vol.49 (3), p.256-262
Main Authors: Adhapure, N. N., Waghmare, S. S., Hamde, V. S., Deshmukh, A. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Bioremediation
Electronic equipment
Electronic waste
Heavy metals
Leaching
Life Sciences
Medical Microbiology
Metal concentrations
Microbiology
Microorganisms
Printed circuit boards
Pyrite
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Summary:With the current rapid developments in technology, there is an increasing accumulation of out-dated electronic equipment. The primary reason for this increase is the low rate of recycling due to the complex nature of such waste. Bioleaching offers a promising solution for this problem. Study was conducted on the solubilization of heavy metals from electronic waste (e-waste). For this purpose, a microbial consortium from bauxite and pyrite ore samples was obtained using a simple ‘top down’ approach. Essentially, printed circuit boards (PCB) were obtained and used as representative samples of e-waste. Various concentrations (1–5%) of PCB powder were subjected to bioleaching, and the effects on metal solubilization, changes in pH and concentration of ferrous iron produced were assessed. It was observed that a maximum of 96.93% Cu and 93.33% Zn was solubilized by microbial consortium from 10 g/L of PCB powder, whereas only 10.26% Ni was solubilized from 30 g/L of PCB powder. For lead, only 0.58% solubilization was achieved from 20 g/L of PCB powder. An analysis of the precipitate formed during bioleaching using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis revealed the presence of Tin (59.96%), Cu (23.97%), Pb (9.30%) and Fe (5.92%).
ISSN:0003-6838
1608-3024
DOI:10.1134/S0003683813030034