Advancements in Urban Mining Techniques for Sustainable Metal Recovery

Urban mining, which involves reclaiming valuable materials from urban waste including discarded electronic waste, is rapidly emerging as a crucial strategy for sustainable resource utilization. Traditional metal extraction methods within a linear economic model have led to resource scarcity and significant environmental harm, underscoring the urgency for circular economy practices that prioritize waste recycling and reutilization. A promising area of research involves utilizing extremophilic microorganisms in bioleaching processes to enhance metal extraction efficiency while minimizing environmental footprints. Even though bioleaching has demonstrated significant potential, substantial gaps still remain regarding its operational efficiency, scalability, cost effectiveness, and integration with established urban mining technologies.

This Research Topic aims to lessen these gaps by focusing on cutting-edge developments and effective integration of biomining techniques, such as bioleaching using microbial species, with urban mining systems to improve critical metal recovery. The main objectives include exploring practical methodologies to enhance the efficiency, sustainability, and economic viability of extracting metals such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements from electronic waste. Emphasis will be placed on developing and refining approaches that can be practically scaled-up, providing clearer pathways for industrial and commercial implementation.

We welcome Original Research, Reviews and Methods articles that span experimental, analytical, and practical dimensions of urban mining and bioleaching technologies. Themes of interest include, but are not limited:

• Developments and innovations in microbial urban mining technologies;

• Role and mechanisms of extremophilic microorganisms in bioleaching;

• Application of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and data-driven approaches for optimizing process efficiency.

Please note that Microbiotechnology does not consider descriptive studies that are solely based on amplicon (e.g., 16S rRNA) profiles or comparisons of nucleic acid extracts (e.g., metagenomics), unless they are accompanied by a clear hypothesis and experimentation and provide insight into the microbiological system or process being studied.

Topic Editor Obuli Karthik is employed by Austin Elements Inc. All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic subject.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Urban mining, Bioleaching, E-waste recycling, Electronic waste recovery, Biomining technologies, Rare earth element extraction, Extremophilic microorganisms, Metal recovery

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.