This book focuses on the fundamental concept of and current endeavors in “urban mining” among those who are interested in both metal resources and ecology. Systems for recycling and reusing precious metals and rare-earth minerals contained in used and discarded electronics are introduced in this book. The target audience is not academic researchers in the resource management and ecology fields but, rather, citizens who are concerned about our future environment and want to do something for the future.

This book gathers selected high-quality research papers presented at the IconSWM 2018 conference, which explore various aspects of urban mining. In addition, they discuss how to achieve sustainable waste management systems, urban mining, landfill mining, material recovery, circular economy, etc., with the aid of effective waste management practices. Additional topics covered include maximum resource circulation and efficiency, key differences between landfill mining and urban mining, and how urban mining can be combined with the concepts of circular economy and sustainability.

The rapid revolution in modern industry has led to a significant increase in waste at the end of the product lifecycle. It is essential to close the loop, secure resources, and join up the circular economy. This book provides a detailed review of extraction techniques for urban mining of precious metals including gold, silver, and the platinum group. The merits and demerits of various extraction methods are highlighted, with possible suggestions for improvements. The feasibility of hybrid extraction techniques, as well as the sustainability and environmental impact of every process, is explored. Offers a comprehensive review of different techniques used in recycling technology for urban mining of precious metals Describes the concept of urban mining and its correlation with circular economy Discusses feasibility of precious metal extraction and urban mines scope and their potential Explains the subject in-context of sustainability while describing chemistry fundamentals and industrial practices Provides technical flow sheets for urban mining of precious metals with diversity of lixiviant This book is aimed at graduate students and researchers in extractive metallurgy, hydrometallurgy, chemical engineering, chemistry, and environmental engineering.

An authoritative treatment of urban computing, offering an overview of the field, fundamental techniques, advanced models, and novel applications. Urban computing brings powerful computational techniques to bear on such urban challenges as pollution, energy consumption, and traffic congestion. Using today's large-scale computing infrastructure and data gathered from sensing technologies, urban computing combines computer science with urban planning, transportation, environmental science, sociology, and other areas of urban studies, tackling specific problems with concrete methodologies in a data-centric computing framework. This authoritative treatment of urban computing offers an overview of the field, fundamental techniques, advanced models, and novel applications. Each chapter acts as a tutorial that introduces readers to an important aspect of urban computing, with references to relevant research. The book outlines key concepts, sources of data, and typical applications; describes four paradigms of urban sensing in sensor-centric and human-centric categories; introduces data management for spatial and spatio-temporal data, from basic indexing and retrieval algorithms to cloud computing platforms; and covers beginning and advanced topics in mining knowledge from urban big data, beginning with fundamental data mining algorithms and progressing to advanced machine learning techniques. Urban Computing provides students, researchers, and application developers with an essential handbook to an evolving interdisciplinary field.

Scientific management strategies can help in exploring anthropogenic wastes (human-made materials) as potential resources through the urban mining concept and be a panacea for sustainable development. This book covers five broader aspects of waste management and resource recovery in urban mining including solid and liquid waste management and treatment. It explains sustainable approaches of urban mining for the effective management of solid and liquid wastes and facilitates their conversion into secondary resources. Overall, this book provides details of urban mining and its different applications including current waste management problems, practices, and challenges faced worldwide. Presents a holistic approach for urban mining considering various types of wastes Describes contemporary integrated approaches for waste management with specific case studies Provides technical, social, and environmental aspects of solid and liquid wastes Considers aspects of sustainability and a circular bio-economy Incorporates pertinent case studies on water and wastewater management This volume caters to researchers and graduate students in environmental engineering, solid waste management, wastewater treatment, and materials science.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Handbook, Second Edition, is a one-stop reference on current electronic waste legislation initiatives, their impact, and the latest technological considerations for reducing electronic waste (e-waste) and increasing the efficiency of materials recovery. It also provides a wide-range of global and corporate examples and perspectives on the challenges that face specific regions and companies, along with the solutions they are implementing in managing e-waste, offering further insights on how discarded products can be treated. Sections introduce the reader to legislation and initiatives to manage WEEE and discuss technologies for the refurbishment, treatment and recycling of waste electronics. Further sections focus on electronic products that present particular challenges for recyclers, explore sustainable design of electronics and supply chains, discuss national and regional WEEE management schemes, and more. Addresses the latest challenges and opportunities for electronic waste (e-waste) management, including e-waste collection models, circular economy implications, rare earth metal recovery, and much more Draws lessons for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) policy and practice from around the world Discusses legislation and initiatives to manage WEEE, including global e-waste initiatives, EU legislation relating to electronic waste, and eco-efficiency evaluation of WEEE take-back systems