Urban mining

Stockpile of rare metals in discarded equipment

An urban mine is the stockpile of rare metals in the discarded waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) of a society.[1] Urban mining is the process of recovering these rare metals through mechanical and chemical treatments. In 1997, recycled gold accounted for approximately 20% of the 2700 tons of gold supplied to the market.[2]

The name was coined in the 1980s by Professor Hideo Nanjyo of the Research Institute of Mineral Dressing and Metallurgy at Tohoku University and the idea has gained significant traction in Japan (and in other parts of Asia) in the 21st century.[3][4]

Thousands of Ghanaians were[5] involved in the Agbogbloshie urban mine where waste was recycled at the cost of human health[6]

In urban mining, the main motivation is recovery of materials while in "landfill mining" the goal is solving the problem at the disposal level.[7]

In developing countries, people tend to recycle e-waste at informal sites, including inside homes, without the use of proper equipment and waste management techniques.[8]

Research published by the Japanese government's National Institute of Materials Science in 2010 estimated that there were 6,800 tonnes of gold recoverable from used electronic equipment in Japan.[9]

There is also an international assembly on reusing waste electronics to produce new electronic gadgets. The most recent assembly was held from 21st of May 2025 to 23rd of May in Procida, Italy[10]

## See also

[edit]

* E-waste
* Construction waste
* Demolition waste
* Circular economy

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Kuroda & Ueda 2011, p. 197.
2. ^ Renner, Hermann; Schlamp, Günther; Hollmann, Dieter; Lüschow, Hans Martin; Tews, Peter; Rothaut, Josef; Dermann, Klaus; Knödler, Alfons; Hecht, Christian; Schlott, Martin; Drieselmann, Ralf; Peter, Catrin; Schiele, Rainer (2000). "Gold, Gold Alloys, and Gold Compounds". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. doi:10.1002/14356007.a12_499. ISBN 3527306730.
3. ^ Yu et al. 2011, pp. 165–166.
4. ^ Nakamura 2016, p. 39.
5. ^ "Agbogbloshie land encroachment - Government to take definite action". 5 February 2025. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
6. ^ "E-waste in Ghana: where death is the price of living another day". theecologist.org. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
7. ^ Ghisellini, Patrizia; Ncube, Amos; Casazza, Marco; Passaro, Renato (30 September 2022). "Toward circular and socially just urban mining in global societies and cities: Present state and future perspectives". Frontiers in Sustainable Cities. 4. Bibcode:2022FrSC....4.0061G. doi:10.3389/frsc.2022.930061. ISSN 2624-9634.
8. ^ Reinsch, William Alan; Hokayem, Anthony (29 July 2021). "A Canary in an Urban Mine: Environmental and Economic Impacts of Urban Mining". Retrieved 5 April 2025.
9. ^ Yu et al. 2011, p. 166.
10. ^ "SUM BECOMES A MULTIDISCIPLINARY ANNUAL EVENT AND GOES TO PROCIDA". 21 May 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2025.

### Sources

[edit]

* Kuroda, Kouichi; Ueda, Mitsuyoshi (2011). "Cell surface design for selective recovery of rare metal ions". In Ike, Michihiko; Yamashita, Mitsuo; Soda, Satoshi (eds.). Handbook of Metal Biotechnology: Applications for Environmental Conservation and Sustainability. CRC Press. ISBN 9789814267991.
* Yu, Jeongsoo; Che, Jia; Omura, Michiaki; Serrona, Kevin Roy B. (2011). "Emerging issues on Urban Mining in Automobile Recycling". In Kumar, Sunil (ed.). Integrated Waste Management. Vol. 2\. InTech. ISBN 9789533074474.
* Nakamura, Takashi (2016). "How to recover minor rare metals from e-scrap". In Neelameggham, Neale; Alam, Shafiq; Oosterhof, Harald; Jha, Animesh; Dreisinger, David; Wang, Shijie (eds.). Rare Metal Technology 2015. Minerals, Metals & Materials. Springer. ISBN 9783319481883.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Nakamura, Takashi; Halada, Kohmei (2014). Urban Mining Systems. Briefs in Applied Sciences and Technology. Springer. ISBN 9784431550754.

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