ARPA-E: Research on Electronic Waste in Municipal Solid Waste Systems

This is a Request for Information (RFI).  No Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) exists at this time. 

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration for potential future ARPA-E research programs focused on highly energy efficient conversion of e-waste into usable manufacturing materials. ARPA-E is interested e-waste management/conversion ideas across the entire supply chain of e-waste and its impact on municipal solid waste, including classification, collection, identification, sorting, and reclamation of materials. Such e-waste reclamation research and development could result in the development and deployment of advanced energy technologies, enhancing the economic and energy of the United States, while reducing imports of foreign-sourced energy, and reduction of energy-related emissions.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)[1](also called trash or garbage) consists of daily items such as product packaging, yard trimmings, furniture, clothing, bottles and cans, food, newspapers, appliances, electronics, and batteries. Sources of MSW include residential waste and waste from commercial and institutional locations, such as businesses, educational institutions, and hospitals. The appliances and electronics waste within the MSW stream are broadly classified as electronic waste often referred to as e-waste or e-scrap. While the definition of e-waste is quite complex, the widely adopted definition in different e-waste studies is by the European Union Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EU WEEE) directive, defined as “Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) which is waste, including all components, sub-assemblies, and consumables, which are part of the product at the time of discarding”. It encompasses six different categories as per International Telecommunication Union[3]. They are listed below. Each product of the six e-waste categories has a different lifetime profile leading to different waste quantities, economic values, and potential environmental and health impacts, if recycled inappropriately. Evidently, the logistical processes including, and recycling technology differ for each category, in the same way as the consumers’ attitudes when disposing of the electrical and electronic equipment also vary.

To read the complete RFI, please visit https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov.