(in Polish) Urban mining (górnictwo miejskie) 1300-PUBM
Urban mining is an industrial activity that involves recovering valuable raw materials from used products (e.g. vehicles, electronic equipment), installations, buildings and industrial facilities, and municipal waste. A particularly valuable type of this are electronic waste, in which the content of precious metals (Au, Ag, Pt or Pd), rare metals ((Nb, Ta) exceeds many times the content characterizing the largest world deposits of these metals. In the world, we produce about 54 million tons of electronic waste annually. It is assumed that in 2030 the stream of this waste will increase to 75 million tons annually. In Poland, statistically, there is about 11 kg of electronic waste per person per year. To illustrate the value of this type of waste as a source of critical raw materials, it is worth quoting the average Au content in electronic boards (PCB boards with electronic components), which oscillates in the range of 400-1500 g/t Au. The value of some electronic components in the secondary market, e.g. old ceramic processors from x386 and x486 family, exceeds PLN 1000 per kilogram. This type of raw materials (electronic waste) are collected, purchased and processed in numerous industrial plants being built in Poland. Processing this type of waste is a dynamically developing section of the economy in Poland and in the world.
The issues discussed during the seminar will mostly focus on recovering metallic raw materials from electronic waste. This category of waste is characterized by very high contents of precious metals (Au, Ag, Pt, Pd), rare metals (Ta, Nb) and non-ferrous metals (Cu, Zn, Sn, Pb, Pb, Al), a significant part of which are considered critical raw materials of the European Union. Topics related to recycling other waste raw materials such as glass or plastic will also be proposed. By participating in the seminar, students will gain up-to-date knowledge on the concentration and forms of occurrence of metallic raw materials in various categories of electronic waste, and will learn about the methods of testing electronic waste used to assess their potential for metal recovery. During the seminar, students will have the opportunity to learn about basic waste recycling technologies and the current scope of processing various types of waste in the largest plants of this type in Poland.
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Ability to independent search of major sources of knowledge related to economic geology, mining, mineral processing and use of critical elements.
The ability of synthesizing the information related to economic geology of critical elements from scientific publications, geological survey and stock market reports.
The ability to analyze mineralogical and geochemical data from various reservoir formations in order to identify new potential mineral deposits of critical elements (e.g. In, REE, Ge, Nb, Ta). The major data sources are scientific publications, geological survey reports and databases.
Acquisition of unique knowledge about the economic geology of critical raw materials/elements, e.g. raw material base for EU countries, and use of critical elements in modern technologies.
The ability to self-referencing scientific issues, including the practical ability to use computer programs for the preparation of computer graphics (Corel Draw) and for displaying multimedia presentations (PowerPoint).
The ability to understand and use the English and Polish terminology in the field of economic geology and mining.
Assessment criteria
Evaluation of the students on the basis of substantive assessment of oral presentations.
Practical placement
Not applicable
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: