Grant: Alliance Grants

Electronic waste, or 'e-waste,' is the world's fastest-growing waste stream, projected to reach a staggering 74 million metric tons (Mt) by 2030. Unfortunately, the collection and recycling of e-waste remain below 18%, resulting in adverse consequences for well-being, the environment, and resource inefficiency. Thus, there's an urgent need to develop efficient e-waste recycling technologies. The primary aim of this partnership is to utilize graphene-based nanomaterials to lower costs and enhance the efficiency of critical mineral recycling from electronic waste. The research team at Western University will collaborate with an industrial partner to create a spintronic sensor using hybrid graphene, capable of quantitatively detecting various magnetic critical minerals in e-waste, especially from crushed waste printed circuit boards (WPCB). Furthermore, we will improve the recovery efficiency of magnetic critical minerals from WPCB and reduce environmental pollution by integrating the spintronic sensor with a bioleaching process. Trainees involved in this NSERC Alliance-Mission project will have the potential to become leaders in advanced manufacturing, the sensing industry, and waste management, contributing to the growth of our digital economy. The ultimate objective of this project is to significantly impact the Canadian manufacturing industry and bolster the sustainable Canadian economy by advancing spintronic sensor technology and harnessing critical minerals from Canada.