IFIB 2025

25–26 Sept 2025 | Torino, Italy

Project cooperationUpdated on 24 September 2025

Sustainable microbial bioleaching of e-waste for recovery of critical raw materials and circular urban mining solution

Annalisa Abdel Azim

Biotechnologyst and Fellow Researcher at Politecnico di Torino

Turin, Italy

About

Microbial Ore Bioleaching is a research-driven project exploring microbial consortia and the products of their metabolisms for the extraction of valuable and critical metals from waste electrical and electronic equipment (E-waste). Every year more than 60 million tons of e-waste are generated worldwide, often landfilled or exported, while the demand for metals such as copper, cobalt, lithium and rare earths is rapidly increasing for the energy and digital transitions.

Our solution leverages microbial bioleaching as an environmentally friendly alternative to mining and chemical processes, transforming urban e-waste into a resource in the frame of a "treating waste with waste" strategy. We aim to validate and scale the technology from lab to pilot scale, enabling modular applications for urban mining.

We are seeking cooperation with industrial partners in recycling and electronics, research organizations in biotechnology and materials science, and investors interested in circular and sustainable solutions for critical raw materials.

Organisation

Politecnico di Torino

University

Turin, Italy

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