Syllabus: GS3/ Environment, Science and Technology
Context
- Researchers in Finland have developed a green chemical process that uses natural fatty acids found in cooking oils to recover silver from electronic waste (e-waste).
- This innovation emerges amid a global surge in silver demand and escalating e-waste challenges, especially in countries like India.
About E-Waste
- E-waste refers to the discarded electronic and electrical devices that have reached the end of their lifespan or become obsolete due to rapid technological changes, including computers, phones, TVs, and other equipment.
- India ranks as the third-largest producer of electronic waste globally, following China and the United States.
- According to the World Silver Survey 2024, industrial applications account for over 50% of total silver demand.
- Yet, only around 15% of silver is currently recycled, causing significant loss of a non-renewable, high-demand resource.
Challenges in E-Waste Management
- Lack of Consumer Incentives: Consumers lack economic or logistical incentives to dispose of e-waste responsibly.
- Sparse Collection Infrastructure: There is a dearth of authorised collection centres, especially in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
- Informal scrap dealers remain the primary point of contact for most consumers.
- Unsafe Recycling Practices: Over 90–95% of e-waste is handled by the informal sector, which uses crude methods such as acid leaching, open burning, and manual dismantling without protective gear.
- Grey Channel Imports: Used electronic goods often enter India under the guise of “donations” or “refurbished items,” which eventually become waste.
Silver Recovery Using Cooking Oils
- The traditional Silver extraction process generates toxic waste leading to high environmental and health risks.
- The new method used organic unsaturated fatty acids like linolenic and oleic acids, commonly found in sunflower, groundnut, olive, and other vegetable oils.
- These are combined with 30% hydrogen peroxide to form a green solvent, which can dissolve silver under mild conditions.
- Ethyl acetate, a safer alternative to harsh chemicals, is used in a second step to separate and recover the silver.
Other initiatives for E-Waste Management in India
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Producers, importers, and brand owners are made responsible for managing their product’s end-of-life waste.
- An online EPR E-Waste portal has been developed by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) where entities such as producers, manufacturers, recyclers, and refurbishers of the e-waste are required to be registered.
- The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has comprehensively revised the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 and notified the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022.
- India’s first e-waste clinic was inaugurated in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
- It’s a facility for segregating, processing, and disposing of e-waste from both households and commercial units.
| Basel Convention – The Basel Convention is a global treaty aimed at controlling the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes and their disposal, ensuring that such wastes are managed in an environmentally sound manner. – It was adopted in 1989 and entered into force in 1992. – India is a party to the Basel Convention. |
Concluding remarks
- India’s e-waste challenge reflects a broader conflict between technological advancement and environmental sustainability.
- As the country climbs the digital ladder, it must not let toxic waste undermine its economic and ecological foundation.
- The goal should not merely be to manage e-waste, but to extract value, protect health, and foster green economic growth—all of which are essential to India’s journey toward Viksit Bharat.
Source: TH
| Read this in Hindi: खाना पकाने के तेल से ई-अपशिष्ट से चांदी प्राप्त करने में सहायता प्राप्त हो सकती है |
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