Unlocking Value from E-Waste: A Comprehensive TOPSIS-Based Evaluation of Biological Technologies for Metal Recovery (Using Secondary Data)

Unlocking Value from E-Waste: A Comprehensive TOPSIS-Based Evaluation of Biological Technologies for Metal Recovery (Using Secondary Data) | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Unlocking Value from E-Waste: A Comprehensive TOPSIS-Based Evaluation of Biological Technologies for Metal Recovery (Using Secondary Data) Rashmi Dixit, Sunil Kumar, Govind Pandey This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6876620/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 3 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Electronic waste (e-waste) contains valuable metals whose recovery is essential for sustainability and the circular economy. Biological technologies, including bioleaching, biosorption, phytoremediation, bioaccumulation, biomineralization and bioelectrochemical systems (BES) offer environmentally friendly approaches for metal recovery. This study employed the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to evaluate these technologies across 16 criteria: Environmental Impact, Safety, Scalability, Resource Availability, Compatibility, Waste Management, Adaptability, Social Acceptance, Recovery Efficiency, Reaction Rate, Yield, Purity, Operational Stability, Energy Consumption, Cost, and Chemical Consumption. Criteria weights were determined based on literature. The decision matrix was normalized, weighted, and analysed to determine the ideal and negative-ideal solutions. Biosorption ranked highest (closeness coefficient C = 0.852), while Phytoremediation ranked lowest. The study offers a structured decision framework for selecting sustainable metal recovery technologies. Biological-based technologies Metal recovery E-waste scrap TOPSIS method Qualitative analysis Quantitative analysis Decision-making framework Full Text Additional Declarations Tables are available in the Supplementary Files section. Supplementary Files Tables.docx Supplementarydata.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Jan, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 09 Jan, 2026 First submitted to journal 11 Jun, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6876620","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":572064157,"identity":"891e129e-dadc-44f1-85c6-b9ce86e55c20","order_by":0,"name":"Rashmi 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