Deshpande, NikoGralnick, Jeffrey, A.Ishkov, Ivan2024-03-282024-03-282024-03https://hdl.handle.net/11299/261939Faculty Advisor: Jeffrey Gralnick; Postdoc Advisor: Ivan IshkovElectronic waste (e-waste) is a dangerous but highly valuable resource. As the use of electronic technology increases, green methods of recycling e-waste become more important. This study investigates the use of Shewanella oneidensis to reduce the metals, particularly copper, present in crushed printed circuit boards (PCBs). Reducing metals biologically creates metallic nanoparticles or mobilizes metals into solution, depending on the element. This allows for those metals to be recovered from PCBs and presents a more environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional e-waste recycling technologies. Metal reduction in PCBs facilitated by S. oneidensis was investigated using inductively coupled plasma and high pressure liquid chromatography analysis. The impact of direct versus indirect contact bioleaching was explored as well. While S. oneidensis is known to reduce a variety of metals under anaerobic conditions, this study did not find conclusive results. We found that this is likely due to the heterogeneity of e-waste as well as possible cell death under experimental conditions.enelectronic waste recyclingShewanella oneidensisScholarly Text or Essay