TY - JOUR
T1 - Nanoengineered cellulose for sustainable selective separation of precious metals from electronic waste
AU - Koshani, Roya
AU - Yeh, Shang Lin
AU - Pitcher, Mica L.
AU - Franz, Lucas Lawrence
AU - Davis, Mitchell Robert
AU - Park, Min Ju
AU - Al Qassabi, Said Khalifa Ahmed
AU - Alves, Joelson Patricio Manuel
AU - Shekarian, Younes
AU - Subasinghe, Hevapathiranage Chandima Sudantha
AU - Pisupati, Sarma V.
AU - Rezaee, Mohammad
AU - Sheikhi, Amir
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2025/5/1
Y1 - 2025/5/1
N2 - Separating precious metals (PM), including gold (Au), silver (Ag), and palladium (Pd), from secondary sources, such as end-of-life products, may aid industrial sectors, spanning from electronics and automotive industry to catalysis and renewable energy, in meeting their increasing metal needs. Sustainable, eco-friendly nanotechnology may provide a viable alternative to conventional separation practices, such as solvent extraction, mitigating their environmental footprints. Here, we nanoengineer cellulose pulp to yield cationic hairy cellulose nanocrystals (CHCNC), bearing a high density of quaternary ammonium groups (∼ 2 mmol g−1), to selectively remove the PM from Au-Ag-Pd ion mixtures and the complex leachates of waste printed circuit boards (WPCB). Au is recovered via the CHCNC-enabled electrostatic attraction and reduction reaction within seconds at a recovery capacity (qe) of up to ∼ 772 mg g−1. Immobilizing CHCNC on microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) via a mussel-inspired nanocellulose coating (MINC) yields mussel-inspired cationic nanocellulose-coated MCC (MINC+), which recovers Pd via electrostatic interactions within hours at qe up to ∼ 559 mg g−1, and Ag is stoichiometrically recovered using chloride ions. Furthermore, a multi-step batch process is developed to selectively recover Ag, Au, and Pd from the WPCB leachates. CHCNC-enabled sorbents may pave the way for developing advanced bio-based, sustainable materials for selective elemental recovery at industrial scales, promoting circular economy.
AB - Separating precious metals (PM), including gold (Au), silver (Ag), and palladium (Pd), from secondary sources, such as end-of-life products, may aid industrial sectors, spanning from electronics and automotive industry to catalysis and renewable energy, in meeting their increasing metal needs. Sustainable, eco-friendly nanotechnology may provide a viable alternative to conventional separation practices, such as solvent extraction, mitigating their environmental footprints. Here, we nanoengineer cellulose pulp to yield cationic hairy cellulose nanocrystals (CHCNC), bearing a high density of quaternary ammonium groups (∼ 2 mmol g−1), to selectively remove the PM from Au-Ag-Pd ion mixtures and the complex leachates of waste printed circuit boards (WPCB). Au is recovered via the CHCNC-enabled electrostatic attraction and reduction reaction within seconds at a recovery capacity (qe) of up to ∼ 772 mg g−1. Immobilizing CHCNC on microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) via a mussel-inspired nanocellulose coating (MINC) yields mussel-inspired cationic nanocellulose-coated MCC (MINC+), which recovers Pd via electrostatic interactions within hours at qe up to ∼ 559 mg g−1, and Ag is stoichiometrically recovered using chloride ions. Furthermore, a multi-step batch process is developed to selectively recover Ag, Au, and Pd from the WPCB leachates. CHCNC-enabled sorbents may pave the way for developing advanced bio-based, sustainable materials for selective elemental recovery at industrial scales, promoting circular economy.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105001541857&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=105001541857&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cej.2025.160991
DO - 10.1016/j.cej.2025.160991
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105001541857
SN - 1385-8947
VL - 511
JO - Chemical Engineering Journal
JF - Chemical Engineering Journal
M1 - 160991
ER -
