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E-Waste- A Challenge for Tomorrow

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Author Affiliations

  • 1 School of Environmental Sciences, Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, Gujrat, INDIA

Res. J. Recent Sci., Volume 1, Issue (3), Pages 86-93, March,2 (2012)

Abstract

Industrialization and extraction of natural resources have resulted in large scale environmental contamination and pollution. Large amounts of toxic waste have been dispersed in thousands of contaminated sites spread across our nation. Thus, the risk to human and environmental health is rising. These pollutants belong to two main classes: inorganic and organic. E-waste is growing exponentially recent years because the markets in which these products are produced are also growing rapidly. The US-EPA has estimated a 5 to 10% increase in the generation of e-waste each year globally. Perhaps even more alarming is that only 5% of this amount is being recovered. E-waste problem is of global concern because of the nature of production and disposal of waste in a globalized world. The challenge is to develop innovative and cost-effective solutions to decontaminate polluted environments, to make them safe for human habitation and consumption, and to protect the functioning of the ecosystems which support life. Bioremediation approach is currently applied to remove contaminants from soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediments including air. These technologies have become attractive alternatives to conventional cleanup technologies due to relatively low capital costs and their inherently aesthetic nature. Therefore, these technologies need to be applied to decontaminate e-waste from the soil-water environment. The present article summarizes the hazardous effects of e-waste, Indian and global scenario and innovative bioremediation technologies to remove it from environment.

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