Spontaneous Copper Electrowinning in Microbial Electrochemical Systems using Enriched Halophilic Electroactive Bacterial Consortia

Rising digitalised economies and the proliferating non-recycled e-waste have intensified the scarcity of copper metal resources. Thus, it is imperative to sustainably manage these resources through urban mining and recycling of copper from e-waste. This thesis advances the development of energy-efficient systems for the spontaneous recovery of copper from highly saline solutions obtained during the processing of e-waste. These systems utilise electricity-generating bacteria which thrive under high salt environment and oxidise organics in wastewater. The generated electricity enables the reduction of copper on the surface of synthesised catalysts that accelerate its recovery from acidic and highly saline solutions.