{"id":45588,"date":"2025-06-17T19:56:38","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T14:26:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=45588"},"modified":"2025-07-04T15:19:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T09:49:14","slug":"cooking-oils-can-help-recover-silver-from-e-waste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/17-06-2025\/cooking-oils-can-help-recover-silver-from-e-waste","title":{"rendered":"Cooking Oils Can Help Recover Silver from E-Waste"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Environment, Science and Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Researchers in Finland have developed a green chemical process that uses natural fatty acids found in cooking oils to<strong> recover silver from electronic waste (e-waste).<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This innovation emerges amid a global surge in silver demand and <strong>escalating e-waste challenges<\/strong>, especially in countries like India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About E-Waste<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>E-waste refers to the <strong>discarded electronic and electrical devices<\/strong> that have reached the <strong>end of their lifespan<\/strong> or become obsolete due to rapid technological changes, including computers, phones, TVs, and other equipment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India ranks as the <strong>third-largest producer of electronic waste<\/strong> globally, following China and the United States.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>According to the <strong>World Silver Survey 2024<\/strong>, industrial applications account for over <strong>50%<\/strong> of total silver demand.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Yet, only around <strong>15%<\/strong> of silver is currently recycled, causing significant loss of a non-renewable, high-demand resource.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges in E-Waste Management<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Lack of Consumer Incentives:<\/strong> Consumers lack economic or logistical incentives to dispose of<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/18-12-2024\/india-e-waste-surges-by-73-percent-in-5-years\">e-waste<\/a> <\/strong>responsibly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sparse Collection Infrastructure: <\/strong>There is a dearth of authorised collection centres, especially in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Informal scrap dealers remain the primary point of contact for most consumers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Unsafe Recycling Practices:<\/strong> Over 90\u201395% of e-waste is handled by the informal sector, which uses crude methods such as <strong>acid leaching, open burning, and manual dismantling<\/strong> without protective gear.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Grey Channel Imports:<\/strong> Used electronic goods often enter India under the guise of \u201cdonations\u201d or \u201crefurbished items,\u201d which eventually become waste.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Silver Recovery Using Cooking Oils<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The traditional Silver extraction process generates <strong>toxic waste<\/strong> leading to high environmental and health risks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The new method used<strong> organic unsaturated fatty acid<\/strong>s like <strong>linolenic and oleic acids, <\/strong>commonly found in sunflower, groundnut, olive, and other vegetable oils.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These are combined with <strong>30% hydrogen peroxide<\/strong> to form a green solvent, which can dissolve silver under mild conditions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ethyl acetate<\/strong>, a safer alternative to harsh chemicals, is used in a second step to separate and recover the silver.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Other initiatives for E-Waste Management in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):<\/strong> Producers, importers, and brand owners are made responsible for managing their product\u2019s end-of-life waste.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>An online EPR E-Waste portal <\/strong>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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change<\/strong> has comprehensively revised the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 and notified the <strong>E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India&#8217;s first e-waste clinic was<\/strong> inaugurated in <strong>Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It&#8217;s a facility for segregating, processing, and disposing of e-waste from both households and commercial units.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Basel Convention<\/strong><br>&#8211; The Basel Convention is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/13-09-2024\/global-e-waste-its-impacts\"><strong>global<\/strong><\/a><strong> treaty aimed at controlling the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes<\/strong> and their disposal, ensuring that such wastes are managed in an environmentally sound manner.\u00a0<br>&#8211; It was adopted in <strong>1989 <\/strong>and entered into force in <strong>1992.\u00a0<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>India is a party<\/strong> to the Basel Convention.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concluding remarks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>India\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/09-07-2024\/e-waste-generation-its-impacts\"> e-waste <\/a><\/strong>challenge reflects a broader conflict between technological advancement and environmental sustainability.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As the country climbs the digital ladder, it must not let toxic waste undermine its economic and ecological foundation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The goal should not merely be to manage e-waste, but to extract value, protect health, and foster green economic growth\u2014all of which are essential to India\u2019s journey toward Viksit Bharat.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/science\/cooking-oils-can-help-recover-silver\/article69682267.ece#:~:text=Rather%20than%20use%20traditional%20methods,%2C%20gro\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background has-fixed-layout\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Read this in Hindi: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs-hindi\/17-06-2025\/%e0%a4%96%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%a8%e0%a4%be-%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%95%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%87-%e0%a4%a4%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%b2-%e0%a4%88-%e0%a4%85%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%b6%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%b7%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%9f-%e0%a4%9a%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%82%e0%a4%a6%e0%a5%80-%e0%a4%aa%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%aa%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%a4-%e0%a4%b8%e0%a4%b9%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%af%e0%a4%a4%e0%a4%be\">\u0916\u093e\u0928\u093e \u092a\u0915\u093e\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u0947 \u0924\u0947\u0932 \u0938\u0947 \u0908-\u0905\u092a\u0936\u093f\u0937\u094d\u091f \u0938\u0947 \u091a\u093e\u0902\u0926\u0940 \u092a\u094d\u0930\u093e\u092a\u094d\u0924 \u0915\u0930\u0928\u0947 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0938\u0939\u093e\u092f\u0924\u093e \u092a\u094d\u0930\u093e\u092a\u094d\u0924 \u0939\u094b \u0938\u0915\u0924\u0940 \u0939\u0948<\/a><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">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).<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>About E-Waste<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">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.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">India ranks as the third-largest producer of electronic waste globally, following China and the United States.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">According to the World Silver Survey 2024, industrial applications account for over 50% of total silver demand.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Yet, only around 15% of silver is currently recycled, causing significant loss of a non-renewable, high-demand resource.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/17-06-2025\/cooking-oils-can-help-recover-silver-from-e-waste\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45588"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46912,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45588\/revisions\/46912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}