Selective and Sustainable Recovery of High-Value Metals from e-Waste via a Glucose-Mediated Hydrothermal Process

The rapid fabrication of artificial intelligence-based hardware worldwide is intensifying the electronic waste (e-waste) crisis, threatening ecosystems and demanding urgent, sustainable solutions for metal recovery. Herein, a glucose-mediated hydrothermal strategy is reported for the efficient reclamation of high-value metals from complex e-waste. Glucose functions as a multifunctional ligand, establishing a specific pathway for metal-organic coordination, enabling selective metal recovery. By precisely regulating reaction kinetics and thermodynamic parameters, the proposed metal-ligand hydrothermal strategy exhibited exceptional recovery of 99.16% for iron (Fe) and 98.67% for silver (Ag), while concurrently converting toxic metals such as lead (Pb) and nickel (Ni) into value-added byproducts without any energy-intensive purification steps. Notably, the process was operated within a closed-loop system. All residual solutions were recycled, eliminating secondary wastewater discharge and enabling the use of the entire components present in the resource. Density functional theory calculations and radial distribution function analysis further revealed the molecular basis of selectivity: Fe(III) preferentially formed bidentate chelates with the aldehyde and hydroxyl groups of glucose, a process complemented by electrostatic interactions that promote rapid nucleation and precipitation. In contrast, other metal ions, Ag(I) and Pb(II), are coordinated primarily via single oxygen sites. Technoeconomic analysis confirmed the economic viability of the process, demonstrating a net profit of $2460 per ton of processed e-waste. This study provides a sustainable and economically compelling waste-to-resource platform guided by molecular-level insights into selective coordination chemistry for advanced e-waste recycling.