Unlocking Value from E-Waste: A Comprehensive TOPSIS-Based Evaluation of Biological Technologies for Metal Recovery (Using Secondary Data)
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Electronic waste (e-waste) contains valuable metals whose recovery is essential for sustainability and the circular economy. Biological technologies, including bioleaching, biosorption, phytoremediation, bioaccumulation, biomineralization and bioelectrochemical systems (BES) offer environmentally friendly approaches for metal recovery. This study employed the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to evaluate these technologies across 16 criteria: Environmental Impact, Safety, Scalability, Resource Availability, Compatibility, Waste Management, Adaptability, Social Acceptance, Recovery Efficiency, Reaction Rate, Yield, Purity, Operational Stability, Energy Consumption, Cost, and Chemical Consumption. Criteria weights were determined based on literature. The decision matrix was normalized, weighted, and analysed to determine the ideal and negative-ideal solutions. Biosorption ranked highest (closeness coefficient C = 0.852), while Phytoremediation ranked lowest. The study offers a structured decision framework for selecting sustainable metal recovery technologies.
