Agromining and e-waste recycling solves harmful REE extraction

Encouraging e-waste recycling could be achieved with new and sustainable techniques. Agromining can be a sustainable solution for old household electronics (mobile phones, laptops, and TVs) with high REE concentration. The agromining processes employ plant species with high hyperaccumulation attributes like fast-growing on REE-rich soils and accumulating a high amount of REEs. After REEs have been concentrated in the body of a plant or multi-cellular fungi like mushrooms, REE extraction into individual elements can be achieved through several hydrometallurgical or pyrometallurgical processes. Utilization of the hyperaccumulating characteristics of plants for agromining makes it an environmentally friendly and low-cost approach. But, it requires a lot of land and constant plant care. REEs supply from recycling e-wastes via agromining can be a good policy recommendation for President Biden’s executive order on U.S. supply chains of critical materials. Agromining can address several national priorities like enhancing domestic job creation and manufacturing capacity, as well as mitigating supply chain risks and environmental impacts. Besides, agromining can help small to medium-sized companies and municipal landfills in the U.S. and developing countries to participate in REE extraction at a fraction of REEs mining from finite ore sources.