title: Innovating e-waste management: From macroscopic to microscopic scales.
abstract: Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE or e-waste) has become a global problem, due to its potential environmental pollution and human health risk, and its containing valuable resources (e.g., metals, plastics). Recycling for e-waste will be a necessity, not only to address the shortage of mineral resources for electronics industry, but also to decline environmental pollution and human health risk. To systematically solve the e-waste problem, more attention of e-waste management should transfer from macroscopic to microscopic scales. E-waste processing technology should be significantly improved to diminish and even avoid toxic substance entering into downstream of material. The regulation or policy related to new production of hazardous substances in recycled materials should also be carried out on the agenda. All the findings can hopefully improve WEEE legislation for regulated countries and non-regulated countries.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Solid Waste Management and Environment Safety, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Xianlai
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Solid Waste Management and Environment Safety, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Congren
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, State University of New York College at Oneonta, Oneonta, NY 13820, USA. Electronic address: Joseph.Chiang@oneonta.edu.
authors.forename: Joseph F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Solid Waste Management and Environment Safety, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address: jinhui@tsinghua.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jinhui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
keywords: E-waste; Macroscopic; Management; Mesoscopic; Microscopic; Recycling