Recycled PCBs to Be Converted into Bio-Materials

June 28th, 2008 • Related • Filed Under

Computer Waste.Researchers in Romania and Turkey have solved one of the world’s most important environmental dilemmas. Discarded circuit boards and other computer waste, which contain high levels of pollutants, will be transformed into environmental friendly raw materials to be used in consumer products such as fuel and plastics.

The news, announced in May by the American Chemical Society, but the researches worked on this project for years before actually retrieving the results they hoped for. The two institutions involved in the project are the “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry in Romania and Ege University in Turkey.

The process involved in converting printed circuit boards into bio-materials is called pyrolysis. Thermal and catalytic pyrolysis combined with dehalogenation (absorption) obtain pyrolysis oils with low amounts of heteroatoms (Br, Cl, N, and O) that might be suitable for use as fuel or feedstock.

The work of the Romanian and Turkish scientists is a positive development in solving the toxic waste problems related to toxic computer waste. Statistics show that by the end of 2010 100m phones and 300m personal PCs will be thrown away. Toxic substances in these are lead, arsenic, antimony trioxide, polybrominated flame redundant, selenium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt and mercury. Illegal dumping of such waste is a real problem in the developing world.

Source: Feedstock Recycling from the Printed Circuit Boards of Used Computers Vasile, C., Brebu, M. A., Totolin, M., Yanik, J., Karayildirim, T., and Darie, H. Energy Fuels, 22, 3, 1658 - 1665, 2008, 10.1021/ef700659t


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