SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IMPACT

In response to this pressing challenge, our synthetic biology-driven solutions deliver precisely that: a modular platform tailorable to specific valuable materials (like Rare-Earth Elements) that can be filtered off from dissolved e-waste. By using easy to cultivate fungal mycelium as a matrix for binding domains, as well as producing these proteins directly in the fungi, our technology can be a cost-effective solution that can cater to many industry needs.

We have consulted with industry leader STENA Recycling about the possibility of integrating our bio-based solution into the conventional recycling processes. We have learned from them, that it is a big challenge to efficiently recycling the small (but valuable) amounts of resources like Rare-Earth elements through conventional methods.

Integrating chemically specific methods engineered by synthetic biology with a low cost- and carbon-footprint could be the key to recovering these otherwise discarded resources. STENA Recycling kindly provided us with an industry sample of e-waste from the recycling process. We assessed through bioleaching experiments, that the Rare-Earth content at this stage could allow for a biological extraction at this step.

E-waste collection infrastructure is a huge topic within itself. We believe, that decentralizing parts of the recycling process by empowering communities to apply biotechnology to their own e-waste, can lift some burdens from the municipal collecting infrastructure. Our approach democratizes the recycling process with low-barrier hardware solutions. It even incentivizes proper e-waste collection via the profits the communities generate from recovering valuable resources like Rare-Earth elements.

But how could small collectives based in community biolabs and community workshops that recycle their own e-waste profit from the recovered resources? To answer this question, we have connected with an innovative startup, that could just answer these question!

SECONTRADE hosts a platform to easily buy and sell recycling resources with very low access barriers, essentially opening the trade market of resources to many more people. Interested communities could sign up and sell their recovered Rare-Earth elements to regional industry buyers to finally complete the circular bioeconomy of e-waste. Their profits could be reinvested into communal collection infrastructure and new biotechnological innovation while the buyers profit from short delivery paths and sustainable sourcing.

Enormous economic potential is currently wasted by our limited recycling capabilities, with electronic waste's total value estimated at a staggering $57 billion in 2019. 3 Let’s unlock this value for a more sustainable future!

But these unsafe practices can be turned into a proper and sustainable industry via low-barrier technology like our MycoFlux and an international supporting network. The core of our approach is a decentralized, community-based framework that shifts the focus to regional stakeholders. We want to empower communities to safely recycle their own e-waste by using sustainable, bioengineered recycling solutions.

By providing our cheap and easily reproducible technology to recover the most valuable resources from e-waste, we want to empower communities to profit from their own e-waste, while improving the working conditions.

Of course, we must make sure that our technology does not fall into the wrong hands. Therefore, we want to focus on collaborating with established partners and networks that know their region and can ensure the proper handling and processing of e-waste.

Collaborative efforts have been instrumental in shaping our vision. We've actively partnered with experts and organizations like Epron and the E-Waste Relief Foundation in Nigeria to refine our concept. Their invaluable insights have emphasized the significance of integrating the community at every stage of our process, ensuring the safety and well-being of all involved in this transformative journey towards sustainable e-waste management and economic advancement. Read more about our learnings from communities in Nigeria in our Human Practices!

Millions of technical devices are lying uselessly in drawers, in households around the globe. We have conducted a survey that shows that people are largely underinformed regarding the possibilities of how to supply old electronics to the recycling process. Today, this process is very unengaging, resulting in millions of devices lying dormant in our desks and drawers. Through the possibility to recycle e-waste within one’s community, everyone will be aware that they have an influence on a sustainable and responsible technological future.

Through our low-barrier hardware and biotechnology, we want to empower communities to recycle their own e-waste. Under the right safety conditions, our hardware project MycoFlux allows this to happen in community biolabs and workshops. This is already a reality for plastic recycling, as more and more plastic upcycling hubs are founded all around the world.

They act as a model for our decentralized e-waste recycling approach: Regional collectives come together and build the necessary equipment based on supplied plans (see Hardware). The material they need is cheap and easily available, e.g., recycled wood. They are supported by regional industry partners that can help in pre-processing parts of the e-waste like sorting and shredding. A global network supports each local hub by providing the GMO cultures and organizational backup.

Once established, a decentralized recycling system like ours has the possibility to drastically reduce the production of primary resources, i.e., the extraction of ore, and thus minimize environmental damage that occurs in this way. The reduction of the dependency of individual states and a generally wider offer can also strengthen the market and the economy.

Lastly, through introducing solutions from synthetic biology into the lives of communities worldwide, we want to demystify GMOs and let people make practical experiences with them. By enabling them to profit from their application first hand, we want to improve the preconceptions people have about synthetic biology. During our iGEM journey we have already reached out to many people and educated them about the potential of synthetic biology as well as the prospects of becoming an active part of recycling processes. Learn more about these activities in our Human Practices!

We realized early on that addressing the global challenge of e-waste recycling necessitates a concerted effort from diverse stakeholders worldwide. Currently, only a few initiatives exist that aim to bring various stakeholders together to address the e-waste problem and raise awareness amongst everyone. One notable example of such initiatives is the WEEE Forum, which hosts an annual E-Waste Day. The International E-Waste Day serves as a platform for raising awareness about the e-waste issue. Last year, 194 organizations from 72 countries across six different continents registered as participants, and many more entities marked the day with activities, news reports, and online campaigns. This year, #ewasteday takes place on October 14, 2023, where we also proudly participate by conducting informational campaigns at our laboratories.

From our network, we have acquired several key insights that are vital for the success of RareCycle. For example that the global production of Rare-Earth elements is heavily dominated by monopolies, endangering fair access and resilient supply chains. Our industry is heavily dependent on the availability of Rare-Earth elements, so recycling becomes a necessary and imperative alternative to primary production, also contributing to environmental sustainability. We have worked with Dr Stopic of the Chair of Process Metallurgy and Metal Recycling of RWTH Aachen University to emphasize RareCycle's unique features and goals and have intensified our focus on the Sustainable Development Goals to highlight our desired impact on peace, prosperity, and the planet.

Furthermore, we recognized the importance of incorporating the informal sector into our recycling efforts. Our partners Epron and the E-Waste Relief Foundation in Nigeria have illustrated to us the importance of incorporating the informal e-waste recycling sector into regulated, safe and legal recycling streams. They have also told us about the huge importance of informing and including the public. We have received great feedback for our decentralized, low-barrier recycling solutions. Thankfully, our network partners also highlighted issues in our project that we have to work on, for example regarding safety protocols and making sure the technology does not fall into the wrong hands.

It is imperative for us to acknowledge our limitations in specific fields and have bridged these gaps with expertise from experts like the ZKBS. We firmly believe that purely organizational or technological solutions in isolation cannot resolve the multifarious challenges in e-waste recycling. Intensive collaboration is the key, bringing all stakeholders to the table to devise practical solutions that work in everyday life. We want to enable innovation in the field of sustainable e-waste recycling by bringing people together and introducing low-barrier and modular technological solutions that people can adapt to their needs.

It was very important to us to inform ourselves about the Sustainable Development Goals itself and share our learnings with our community. Prof. Heba Aziz from Institut XY and Prof. Professor Heba Aziz from the UNESCO Chair for World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Management in the Arab Region (GU Tech Oman) and Professor Fredrik Björk from the Faculty of Culture and Society (Malmö University) educated us on the goals and helped us to focus message and outreach. In workshops on-campus and in schools we have spread our message to students and created awareness for the huge problem of e-waste recycling in our current society.

We are the first generation to deal with such a huge amount of technological products in our daily lives, and thus have the generational task to care for their correct disposal and recycling! We have encouraged our fellow students to join us in working towards the Sustainable Development Goals with the help of synthetic biology. We have also conducted a social media campaign to educate people about our project in direct relationship with the Sustainable Development Goals and received great feedback for it.

The first one addresses the illegal shipments of e-waste. It leads to production of unnecessary CO2 emissions and enables dangerous and improper recycling. It`s estimated that between 0.25 and 1.3 million tons of e-waste are shipped from the EU every year and a big part of it is going to West Africa. There, unsuitable recycling practices such as burning or dumping can lead to habitat destruction, disrupting the balance of ecosystems, causing loss of biodiversity and threatening the survival of various species. Not only are whole ecosystems affected but also food and water supplies are contaminated. We feel a special responsibility for this circumstance as Germany is producing the most e-waste within the EU. 9

By enabling everyone to recycle their own e-waste within their community, we want to engage people in the fight against illegal e-waste shipping. Our hardware solution MycoFlux is a simple and practical way to take part in the recycling process. A wide implementation of MycoFlux would lower CO2 emissions caused by e-waste shipping. From 2014 to 2020 the CO2 emissions caused by electronic devices and their associated e-waste rose by 53%. 10 By educating and informing people about the current situation we raise awareness of the problem of improper recycling techniques releasing dangerous chemicals to the environment, where they harm plants and animals, and poison the soil. Our recycling based on synthetic biology could be the key alternative to dangerous and unsustainable recycling practices.

To start a pilot project, we built a network in Nigeria, interviewing several NGOs like EPRON and E-Waste Relief Foundation concerning the e-waste problem in Nigeria and how our project can help. They gave us a detailed insight into the current situation and confirmed how valuable RareCycle could be in protecting the local environment and climate. At the moment, in Nigeria 1.1 million tons of e-waste are produced every year. Our partners at the E-Waste Relief Foundation told us, that a lot of it ends up on landfills four to five times as big as Luxembourg, which leads to soil contamination with toxins like carcinogenic metals. 11

The second column deals with the fact that traditional mining of rare earth elements is also connected to large emissions of CO2 besides its damaging effect on the local environment. Recycling ends these processes creating a sustainable circular economy and reducing carbon emissions due to the less needed transportation of resources. This was underlined discussing our project with Professor Stopic, an expert on Rare Earth Elements. He pointed out that 70% of waste declared as toxic is actually e-waste.

Making sure all necessary safety guidelines are integrated in MycoFlux we had an interview with ZKBS (The Central Committee on Biological Safety). Among other things, they informed us about the main points to consider in order to keep MycoFlux environmentally friendly. Since it's important to make sure our GMO fungi will not have any influence on wild type species, we will continue performing tests in this field. Additionally, we will have a closer look at the wood we use for MycoFlux. We will ensure that the boxes will be built out of regional and sustainable wood combating rainforest deforestation.

It is integral to our mission to democratize e-waste recycling and to empower communities to deal with and profit from their own e-waste. This is especially important in urban areas where most of our electronic waste is produced. E-waste is also the fastest growing waste stream so municipal collection and processing facilities need to quickly adapt for sustainable and safe e-waste recycling.

The progressing technologization of our cities can be seen in our everyday lives, as we encounter more and more e-scooters, delivery robots or drones. Our solution approach supports making our cities more sustainable and resilient by involving people more intensively in the recycling chain. By providing communities with our easily reproducible biotechnology, neighborhoods and community workshops can help lift the load from their municipal waste management by executing some steps of the recycling process themselves.

In many cities, there is already a successful approach for plastic recycling where community centers are supported by a global network to enable people to upcycle plastic waste (e.g. Precious Plastics). Thus, the groundwork for our upcycling concept for e-waste already exists in many places worldwide. While parts of our process would have to be executed in community biolabs given current regulations, collection and pre-processing steps could be easily realized within neighborhood workshops. We built our Hardware project entirely within the workshop of our university that is entirely run by students. Therefore, we can ensure that our technology can be replicated very easily within the means of community workshops.

Our experience in the community workshop was very positive and we can highly encourage everyone to get engaged in similar spaces in their cities. Sharing technology, tools and skills could be the key to enriching our lives with activities that strengthen our communities and dealing with global problems locally.

Even more concerning is that upon arrival in these countries, the waste is dismantled for raw materials, often by young children working in hazardous landfills. These children are exposed to toxic fumes during the incineration of electronics. Furthermore, water pollution resulting from improper e-waste disposal poses a severe threat to drinking water sources, endangering even more adjacent communities. Unfortunately, despite the evident dangers, the importation of e-waste to countries like Nigeria and Ghana persists because it generates essential revenue for the state and offers employment and income opportunities for the impoverished and most vulnerable populations in these nations. 14 This, and often the ignorance about the negative impact on human health, leads many people to work in this sector. But we have the power to capitalize on this hazardous situation.