Nanoparticles, Microorganisms, and E-Waste: An Integrated Approach to Environmental Sustainability
摘要
In today’s technologically advanced society, “electronic garbage” or “e-waste” presents an alarming concern to our green enivornment. Due to the transformation of our planet towards digitalization, people are bound to use electronic devices for their needs. Though there are pros and cons accompanying it, the darker side of digitalization needs to be taken care of more. The demand for smart electronic devices is increasing at a higher rate. In the end, these will generate a lot of electronic waste which needs to be processed or recycled. Traditional methods will fall short in this digital era as the quantity will be more and the amount of toxins they emit will also be high. Therefore, we need better approaches to clean up e-waste from our environment. This chapter explores how e-waste is managed using nanoparticles and microorganisms. Nanoparticles are either synthesized from e-waste as a source or can be applied for remediation purposes. Nanoparticles can be synthesized using eco-friendly methods like green synthesis using plant extracts and microorganisms. On the other hand, microorganisms play a vast role in e-waste management. Through certain processes like bioleaching, biosorption, and bioaccumulation, microorganisms leach, adsorb, and accumulate metals by themselves, thereby helping in metal recovery. Apart from the individual contributions, microorganisms are also used as a consortium of the same species or different species of bacteria and fungi to extract metals from e-waste. Following this, the chapter discusses how nanoparticles and microorganisms can be used as a synergy to attain greater efficiencies. Recent advances in the field of nanobiotechnology to mitigate e-waste are also discussed. The chapter highlights the novel nanoparticle-microbe combinations and how they are applied in real-world cases. Due to some unsafe practices, toxic substances are being released into the environment posing a major threat to living organisms. The chapter then discusses on to the part where the safety and regulatory policies of different countries to manage e-waste are implemented. Finally, the emerging technologies and future prospects in the field of nanobiotechnology in e-waste management are addressed. Even though we have achieved greater heights in technological aspects, there are some gaps that need to be filled in this area to ensure the safety and health of all living organisms. Furthermore, effective strategies are needed in this hour to combat this huge task to make our world better place to live.