Recovery of precious metals from E-waste by sustainable porous membranes (ReMe2)

Important results from the project

The project has met its objectives with very good results. A series of porous organic polymers (POPs) and their composites have been developed, which exhibit good properties for selective capture of noble metal ions from E-waste leachate. The synthesis of the POP materials was scaled up and a continuous flow process for metal extraction was established. The noble metal-enriched POPs could then be used in advanced catalytic applications, further increasing the utility of the recovered metals.

Expected long term effects

The project results are expected to contribute significantly to the development of urban mining by reducing the amount of electronic waste going to landfill, increasing the recycling and reuse of precious metals, and contributing to the conservation of these critical resources. In addition, the project is expected to reduce the environmental footprint of mining operations by reducing our dependence on traditional metal extraction from mining.

Approach and implementation

The project started with the synthesis and characterization of various porous organic polymers (POPs), with particular focus on low-cost starting materials to reduce synthesis costs and enable large-scale application of these porous materials. The POPs were evaluated as adsorbents for recovering noble metal ions from dilute aqueous solutions, and the most promising materials were scaled up and processed into membranes or monoliths for practical recovery of noble metals from electronic waste.