About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
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| Symposium
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Advances in Recycling and Environmental Technologies
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| Presentation Title |
Transforming E-Waste into Strategic Resources: Techno-Economic Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment of Gallium and By-products Recovery from LEDs via Bioleaching |
| Author(s) |
Xiaohan Wu, Neha Shakelly, Venkat Roy, Yiming Liu, Xinbo Yang, Tapajyoti Ghosh, John W. Sutherland, Fu Zhao |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Xiaohan Wu |
| Abstract Scope |
Gallium is a critical material for advanced electronics and optoelectronic applications, yet its supply is increasingly constrained by high energy demands and environmental burdens associated with primary production. This study developed a comprehensive process model based on laboratory bioleaching experiment, incorporating transportation, disassembling, roasting, shredding, bioleaching, solvent extraction/electrowinning (SX/EW), and refining. Then, a mass balance framework was developed to quantify material flows and metal outputs, which subsequently informed both the techno-economic analysis (TEA) and the life cycle assessment (LCA).
The TEA estimated average total costs of $664.15/kg for gallium, $22.14/kg for nickel, and $11.18/kg for copper. Moreover, the LCA results highlighted the environmental advantage of bioleaching, with global warming potential (GWP) reduced to approximately 80–90 kg CO₂-eq per kilogram of gallium, compared to 272 kg CO₂-eq in conventional primary production. These findings underscore the potential of e-waste bioleaching as a viable low-carbon strategy for gallium recovery.
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| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Undecided |
| Keywords |
Recycling and Secondary Recovery, Hydrometallurgy, Sustainability |