The Green Action Fund sponsored a new heavy metal recycling method using fungi that was developed by a student.
GAF funded the project $5,000 on March 21. The method was created by junior physics student Joe Bate, who plans to use the recycling method to recycle UCCS’ 1,000 pounds of electronic waste on site.
The university’s current method includes shipping the materials to a third-party company to smelt them to extract heavy metals like nickel, iron, gold and platinum. Bate said the current method creates secondary pollution.
Heavy metals can be recycled and reused using fungi, creating a self-regulating recycling system for electronic waste, Bate said. The method uses the acids that fungi produce to leach, or filter, heavy metals from waste.
UCCS has spent $120,643 in the last seven years on heat energy and chemicals used in the smelting process, according to Bate. Comparatively, fungi spores can be rebred, providing essentially unlimited, low-cost maintenance.
“Essentially, the fungi will produce oxalic and citric acids and then leach the heavy metal ion from the compound that it’s contained in,” Bate said. Leaching refers to the process of dissolving an object in a solvent to extract the solute, in this case the heavy metal ions.
“The heavy metal ion will be stored in either the vacuoles of the fungi itself, or within a solution if the fungi did not absorb it. From there, you can harvest that element,” Bate said.
Bate said he hopes to establish a pilot program by the end of the Fall 2025 semester, likely focusing on the IT department’s waste since it produces e-waste consistently.
The pilot program will use a portion of UCCS’ waste to fix weaknesses in the program and manipulate the fungus’ genes to ensure the maximum amount of material possible is leached, Bate said.
According to Bate, the project has an early partnership with the Office of Sustainability and the Office of Information Technology. More details will be available after Bate calculates the costs alongside the Facility Services Department to determine how much it will cost to establish the program at UCCS.
The final cost of the project hasn’t been determined but GAF has committed to funding the project. GAF is a semesterly student fee that is used to fund sustainable projects on campus. Chair of GAF Bailey Parenteau said the fungi recycling project aligns with the organization’s goals for the campus.
“I think [fungi recycling] is going to be very educational, and also a great opportunity for UCCS to cement ourselves as an innovative campus in research sustainability,” Parentaeu said.
Bates said he is committed to making sustainability a key focus on campus.
“This e-waste recycling program is just the start,” Bates said. “I encourage everyone to take part, whether by responsibly recycling old electronics or joining efforts to grow this initiative. Together, we can make UCCS a leader in campus sustainability.”
Students can learn more about the project by contacting Bates at [email protected] or by reading updates via the SGA and Sustainability Office newsletters. GAF is still accepting sustainable project proposals for the spring semester. Students can apply for grant funding from GAF through the form on their website.