5. Conclusion and outlook

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

Numerous processes are available, some of which have been put into practice 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 offcuts, and Ta and Ag....