A bibliometric analysis on waste electrical and electronic equipment research

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) contains both toxic and valuable materials. Due to rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICT), a large amount of WEEE have been produced, leading to increasing academic efforts in this field. This study aims to depict the trends and features of WEEE-related studies through a bibliometric analysis. The results show that the total number of WEEE-related publications had sharply increased, with China as the leading country. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences is the most productive WEEE-related research institution, while Mai BX is the most productive author. As such, Waste Management, Journal of Cleaner Production, and Environmental Science & Technology are the most influential journals. The research hotspots of WEEE mainly focus on the recycling and treatment technologies, environmental impacts, and relevant policies of WEEE. By tracing the evolutionary pathway of WEEE research, it is clear that the research frontiers have switched from electronic equipment, extended producer responsibility, sediment, environment and design, risk assessment to life cycle assessment, mobile phone, and behaviors. This study provides valuable insights to those WEEE-related scholars so that they can identify their own research topics and partners. This paper is one of the first studies in WEEE research field that offers critical discussions and suggestions related to research development and future trends, and used visualized tools to present the holistic picture of this field.