Ag recovery from waste printed circuit boards of cell phone for synthesis of Ag nanoparticles and their antibacterial activity.

The increase in technology has increased the consumption and waste of electrical and electronic equipment, especially cell phones (smartphones). The waste printed circuit board (WPCBs) contained in this waste include metals that can be recovered, adding value to this waste and minimizing environmental impacts with its incorrect disposal or treatment. The present work applies the concepts of circular economy, the silver was recovered from WPCBs obsolete cell phones (smartphones) through hydrometallurgical processing in two stages of leaching. After the leaching process, the silver was recovered as AgCl, using a selective precipitation process. For the synthesis of AgNPs, the green synthesis was used at a temperature of 60 °C, using glucose as a reducing agent and the variation of two stabilizers: sodium citrate and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Synthesis of AgNPs using sodium citrate as a stabilizing agent, resulting in AgNPs with two diameter ranges of 47 and 2 nm. In the synthesis of AgNPs using PVP as a stabilizing agent, formed two diameters of 65 and 5 nm. The properties indicated polydispersed AgNPs predominantly spherical in shape. Antibacterial activity of AgNPs was evaluated on Escherichia coli bacteria growth, the results suggest that AgNPs are strong inhibitory agents for Gram-negative bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]