Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) Inaugurates Centre of Excellence on E-Waste Management in Hyderabad

Hyderabad:  In a significant stride towards sustainable electronic waste management, the Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET), an autonomous scientific society under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, inaugurated the Centre of Excellence (CoE) on E-waste Management at its Hyderabad laboratory. The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Shri S Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, and attended by dignitaries including Shri Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, IT E&C, Government of Telangana; Shri Rajesh Singh, JS&FA, MeitY; Dr Anil Kumar C, CE&MD, M/s Greenko; Dr Sandip Chatterjee, GC, MeitY; Shri E Magesh, DG, C-MET; Shri Ashok Kumar Khatwa, CE, CPWD.

C-MET, with R&D laboratories in Pune, Hyderabad, and Thrissur, focuses on critical electronic materials, and the Hyderabad lab specifically concentrates on the development of cutting-edge electronic materials and strategic materials, including metals and alloys.

The key thrust area of C-MET, Hyderabad, is the development of environmentally friendly e-waste recycling technologies, aligning with the national goal of promoting resource efficiency and a circular economy. India generated approximately 3.2 million tonnes of electronic waste in 2019, containing valuable materials like gold, copper, palladium, silver, alongside hazardous substances such as lead, cadmium, chromium, and mercury, posing significant health risks.

The newly inaugurated Centre of Excellence (CoE) on E-waste Management, established under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, is the first of its kind in the country. The CoE has successfully developed various e-waste recycling technologies for spent Printed Circuit Boards (PCB), Li-Ion Battery, Permanent magnets, Si-Solar cells, and more. Notably, C-MET not only conceptualized these recycling technologies but also designed and fabricated the necessary processing equipment.

Shri S Krishnan emphasized the importance of adopting a circular economy approach to e-waste management. He highlighted that this approach would contribute to resource efficiency, reduced carbon footprint, recovery of precious materials, and minimization of health hazards. Commending C-MET’s efforts, he mentioned that the developed e-waste recycling technologies would enhance India’s self-reliance and contribute to the circular economy mission.

Dr. R. Ratheesh, Director, C-MET Hyderabad, expressed his gratitude and welcomed the attendees. The event was attended by C-MET scientists, staff, students, officials from CPWD, and Government of Telangana representatives. The initiative signifies a major leap forward in India’s pursuit of sustainable and responsible electronic waste management.