Conclusion and outlook

The development of renewable energies, sustainable mobility, and consumer goods such as high-tech and digital products, linked to population growth, is accompanied by a significant increase in demand for mineral resources and metals. In the context of the current energy and digital transitions, certain essential metals will become even more critical. Faced with problems related to the availability of raw materials, the geopolitical instability of some of their producing countries, or their oligopolistic positions, recycling the metals contained in electrical and electronic waste can provide certain solutions.

Many processes are available, some of which are already being used to exploit this urban mine. Recycling is already practiced for metals such as Pt, Rh, Ru, and Pd, mainly from catalytic converters, Ga and In from manufacturing scrap, and Ta and Ag. This allows...