MODULE 5: E-Waste Management es that enter the waste stream eludes electronies appliances such as televisions, personal computers, telephones, air conditioners, cell phones, electronic toys, etc. Sources of Source household | Washing machines, dryers, _reftigerators, | appliances airconditioners etc, | 2 | Consumer electronics | Televisions, VCR/DVD/CD Players}. Hi-Fi_ sets, | Radios, etc. 3 /1T and telecom | PCs, Laptops, cell phones, telephones, fax: equipment machines, copiers, printers, ete 4 | Small household | Vacuum cleaners, coffee machines, irons, toasters, appliances etc. 3 | Electrical and | Drills, Electric saws, sewing Machines, lawn electronic tools mower etc. (Except: large stationary | tools/machines) 6 | Lighting equipment | Fluorescent tubes, sodium lamps ete. (Except: bulbs | | | and halogen bulbs) |7 Monitoring and control equipment a Others 9 Toys, leisure and sports equipment Electric train | sets, coin slot machines treadmills, etc. fs 10 Medical devices -waste is composed of various metals and non-metals which make its composition unique and diverse. In a typical composition pattern E:-waste encloses a. Around 30% of organic materials Ex: polymers, flame retardants, and glass fiber. b. Around 30% ceramic materials ‘a, mica, and aluminavaste encloses around 40% inorganic materials Inorganic Mater Base Metals ‘Muminum, iron, copper, and tin | Noble Metals Silver, gold, and palladium Heavy Cadmium, nickel, chromium, zine, Metals mercury, beryllium, and lead Rare Earth Metals Gallium, tantalum, and platinum groups Characteristics of E-waste: The characteristics of electronic waste (e-waste) can include: 1. Complexity E-waste often contains a complex mixture of materials, making it challenging to recycle and dispose of properly. Hazardousness: E-waste can contain hazardous materials such as heavy metals, flame retardants, and batteries, which can pose significant environmental and health risks. 3, Volatility: E-waste is a rapidly growing waste stream due to the increasing use of Glectronic devices and the limited lifespan of many electronic products. 4. Global issue: E-waste is a global issue, as electronic devices are manufactured, used, and discarded worldwide. 5. Resouree depletion: The extraction of raw materials for electronic devices contributes to resource depletion, and the improper disposal of e-waste can lead to environmental contamination and waste of valuable resources. 6. Environmental and health impacts: Improper disposal of e-waste can lead to significant cavironmental and health impacts, including soil and water contamination, air pollution, and harm to human health. Need for agement concerning global perspective waste contains both hazardous and non-hazardous substances in their components. Many of e-waste materials are highly toxie, with these hazardous elements e-waste can cause Many ot nvironmental problems during disposal if not properly pretreated. Because of these Fensons, need to keep some concepts about the e-waste management, + Demonstrating the present global e-waste situations and health hazards, that could extend the achievement of sustainable development targets. To illustrate the developments from different views and raise concerns about e-waste 3. lentifying information gaps, and providing a basis knowledge and awareness for eehnolowieal improvement to facilitate global long-term sustainable development. 4. Recovering the parts within the devices that still have value, and providing peo vacturers with reeyeled metals that can be used to make new products. 25. Raise awarent management. among different stakeholders on various aspect of e-waste 6. Strengthen the existing e-waste management system. oxic materials used_in_manufacturing electronic and electrical Products_and_their_health hazardous Some of the toxic materials, and their applications in electrical and electronics applications, and its effets on health are given below (ill effects of toxic materials). Sr | Toxic materials | Health hazards no 1 | Lead Causes damage to the central and_ peripheral | nervous systems, blood systems, kidney and reproductive system in humans. v Cadmium These are toxic, can bioaccumulate, and they pose risk of irreversible effects on human health Mercury Mercury can cause damage to various organs | including the brain and kidneys. Most importantly, the developing fetus is highly susceptible through maternal exposure to mercury 4 | Hexavalent Tt easily passes through cell membranes and is then | Hexavs . ugh cell , 7 | chromium/chromiu | absorbed— producing various toxic effects in | | mvt contaminated cells, | 5. | Nickel Allegeric reaction, asthma, chronic bronchitis (6 | Arsenic ‘Allergic reaction, nausea, vomiting, decreased red and | white blood cell production [7 Other materials: | Contribute to toxic landfill leachate and vapours, Polychlorinated [8804 as. the vaporization of “metalic and olychlorinated, | | Gimethylene mercury. Furthermore, uncontrolled | Binhensis (PCB), fires may arise in landfills, releasing extremely chlorefugrocarbot | toxie dioxins and furans (dioxin-like compounds) into the atmosphere. hydrochlorofluoro carbons (HCFCs), ete. covery by different approaches (reeyeling, atments) E-waste recycling and 1 aration and thermal ¢ and electronics equipment Eswaste recycling involves collection, preprocessing, and end processing. The metal fractions are refined and recovered in the preprocessing stage using hydrometallurgy, pyrometallurgy, electrometallurgi 1. Recycling: Process in the treatment of waste electriThe metallurgical processing of E-waste involves dissolving in the appropriate solvent or liquid, known as hydrometallurgical processing, The metallurgical processing of E-waste involves smelting the components using heat. known as pyrometallurgical processin; Further refining the target metal using its chemical properties, either through currents and voltage, i.e., electrolytic cells, or simply through precipitation involves physically separating different components of e-waste, metals, plasties, and circuit boards. This can be done manually or through automated processes, and the separated materials can then be processed further for recycling or disposal. Such as using specialized equipment to sort materials by density, size, or magnetic properties. Some common examples of e-waste components that are separated during the recycling process include: E- waste : ae Pesala ii emt, ont mea rot pone te ‘Sect teiciion) cn) Pal enc - ens Gravity, Magnetic, Pre-treatment ectrosttig| { Fertoue tara ee) . TF (mtenea) Cue) 3. Thermal treatments: E-waste thermal treatment refers to the use of high temperatures to recover valuable metals and other materials from electronic waste. This process can include incineration or other pyrometallurgical techniques, and typically involves melting down the waste to separate the metal components. The separated metals can then be recovered and reused. Thermal treatment can be an effective method for e-waste recycling. Extraction of E-waste: 1. Hydrometallurgical Technique: Hydrometallury L Leaching 7 ‘Thiourea, | | Thisulfate | cy Leaching” | ‘Nive ack | sant cia | Hydrochloric acid | Aauarseia | Scheme: hydrometallurgical leaching techniques. ‘The targeted metals are made to leach (removal of metal from a ne ee influence of liquid) into solutions of desired concentration consisting of a ya ea strong sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acids, and a few alkalis. The meta 4recovered from the solu tion goes fini adsorption, solvent extraction, analog ioe ceetorefining, 5 / ion, and/or ion exchange, Brief description of various leaching types i a. Cyanide Leaching: precipitation, cementation, s given below: Cyanide based solvents is the most used rea, Potassium cyanide (KCN) and 3-nitrobe for the dissolution of gol dicyanoaurate gold presence of air, igent for Au extraction from electronic scraps. nzene sulfonic acid sodium salts are used primarily Id on a large scale. When AU reacted with KCN, a water-soluble complex is obtained and the reaction proceeds at a very slow step in the dAugy + 8 CN™ ayy + Org + 2H2O4aq) — 4AU(CN) >” faq) +4 OH” (ag) In the presence of Potassium cyanide (KCN) and 3-nitrobenzene sulfonic acid sodium salts Water-soluble dicyanoaurate Gold complex) b. Acid and Alkaline Leaching The acids such as nitric acids, sulphuric acids, and hydrochloric acids as the ~ prominent mineral acid for recovering precious metals from solid electronic waste are used in hydrometallurgical process. ‘The acids (nitric acids, sulphuric acids, and hydrochloric acids) Precious metals from solid electronic waste AVG, | HE HChagy #3 HNO gag) “+ 2HAUCl (aq) + 3 NOCly) + 6H2O, ‘hleroeuric acid ‘The traditional medium for dissolving Au, as well as the platinum group metals, is aqua-regia (a mixture of three parts of concentrated HCI to one part of concentrated HNOs). Aqua-regia is known to be the best reagent to dissolve Au and it is used for refining Au with highest quality. A few organic acids such as ascorbic acids, citric acids, and sometimes acetic acids are used 10 remove some of the light metals, especially from spent batteries and mobile devices. Cobalt and lithium, found extensively in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), are removed by this method. In general, PCB contain an inert chemical coating that can be removed by applying sodium hydroxideOngonic acids (ascorbic acids, citric acids, and acetic acids) + Orgonic acids (ascor : | Some of the light metals (especially from spent batteries and mobile devices). + Sodium hydroxide, » PCB (inert chemical coating) c. Recovery of Metals: ‘The targeted removal of metals from leach solutions is achieved by a variety of methods such as solvent extraction, ion exchange, adsorption, precipitation, electrolysis and cementation. Selective recovery is possible for most processes. Note 1: Other leaching types are: Thiosulphate Leaching for recovering of silver, gold and palladium from PCBs. Halide leaching for the recovering of gold. ‘Thiourea leaching for the recovering of gold, silver and palladium. Not Hydrometallurgical Processing: These processes have been utilized for the recovery of metals from E-waste using acid or caustic leaching of selective dissolutions of the targeted metals from the solid E-waste. Then the solution with the targeted metal and a few impurities is refined further for concentrating the metal via solvent extraction, adsorption, or ion exchange processes. Finally, the metal is fully recovered through electrorefining or through electrochemical reduction reactions (below equation) to regain the solid metals from the E- waste. M™+ne ——» M 2. Pyrometallurgical methods: Note: Pyrometallurgy involves incineration, smelting in plasma arc or blast furnaces, drossing, sintering, melting, and gas-phase reactions at high temperatures. In this process, the crushed scraps containing metals (including base and precious metals) are burned in a high temperature furnace, and then the metals are volatilized by a chemical reaction or by heat, and impurities are converted into slags. Pyrometallurgy Process: * Generally, WEEE needs to be treated firstly through the mechanical - physical pretreatment: dismantling main parts; shredding/grinding processes for size reduction, liberation of components, etc. © Physical techniques result in preprocessed E-waste which is composed of Fe, Al, Cu, and Pb in high amounts and precious metals in low concentrations.« Typical Ex is rich i ypical E-waste is rich in Fe and Al followed by Cu and Pb, Therefore, WEEE may undergo Pb smelting i : fatale, ig and Cu smelting routes in order to separate Pb, Cu, and precious During Process: Incineration: inci i {ncineration: The | ieee process can be done at a high temperature where a of mass losses (70%) and E-waste scraps converted into liquid matte and slag. The organi " 7 ic HAGeISeLld char, vases, - : see presents in WEEE facilitates burning and turns it Smelting: In the process of smelting, physical and chemical changes occur in the ice at a temperature between 1000 °C and 1300 °C. There have been several processes employed during the smelting process, including flash and bath smelting. Various metallurgical processes such as oxidation, reduction, vulcanization, melting, matte forming, slag forming, and fumes of nonferrous metal ‘compounds. ¢an occur during the smelting process. : + Some metal sulfides impurities oxidized to meta! oxides in the presence of Seuiving environment and moved to the slag while recovering metals such as Cu and precious metals (Ag, Pt, Pd, and Au) formed liquid matte. MoS + 2m Oni) > MzOne + SOs) «s The formed matte is further oxidized in the presence of an oxidizing atmosphere and produced impure copper blister liquid. «Finally, the copper blister liquid treated with anode furnace 10 separate the pure conper from the blister. About 99% of copper from the ister eam be separated, copp tre vemaining can be recovered during the eleetrorefining process (at the and ine terminal) and precipitated the precious metals such as Au, 6 Pt, and cathote further recovering process needs to be carried out to recover the precious metals from the final residue. High Fe, Al, Cu & Pb : Low: Precious Metals eae Dismantling Ewoste Smelting ecm Crushing mf Sulphide ” Furnace Slog ‘rode sludge Precious” Furnace — ‘Metals Slog Converting System Anode Electrolyeie Blister a fornace pee | Gu Cothode Scheme: Pyrometallurgical processing scheme based on industrial eopper/e-waste smelting processDirect Physical Recycling Process Direct recovery is a process of recovering useful components from e-waste without using chemical methods. Generally, for lithium-ion batteries, Direct Physical Recycling Process are utilized to recover useful components. Before handling lithium-ion batteries, they were discharged and disassembled into thousands of cells. Then, the small cells were treated with supercritical COz, and the electrolytes were extracted and treated in this process. After lowering the temperature and pressure, CO2 can be separated from the electrolyte and the electrolyte can be regenerated. The cells were then disassembled, broken and sorted. Finally, the spent cathode is sintered, and materials are collected and reused Spent LBs. /Efear wi) Secmysealts |=} ae ey ub u cements ey i ipresure nicl > Gee 4g & arvebie > | Spemtentode gu Soci cates Scheme: Direct physical recycling process. ‘Advantages © Short recovery route + Low energy consumption © Environmental friendliness and © High recovery rate Dis-advantages + High operational and equipment requirements © Incomplete recoveryLxtraction of gold from E-waste ; process iny aste and sodium or potass nvolves the ch i allows for easier extraction aqua-regia, 1. Pre-treatment: The different co: Fi . . Faping ponents and devices can be separated in a first mechanical step into various 2. Hydrometallu rgical Techniqu The targeted metals including gold are made to leach into solutions of desired concentration consisting of potassium cyanide or aqua-regia (a mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitrie acid), to dissolve the gold. Acid Leaching ‘The metals, including gold, are leached from the e-waste using a suitable reagent, such as aqua-regia (a mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid), to dissolve the gold. The acids (nitric acids, sulphuric acids, and hydrochloric acids) Precious metals from solid electronic waste Aug £ LL HCliayy #3: HNO gag) ZHAUCh jag) + 3 NOClg) + 6H20 (aq) aa caeG aifent eierie fone —__. {uel to one pert of con HNO.) 3. Precipitation: The dissolved gold is then precipitated out of the solution through the addition of a suitable reducing agent, such as sodium metabisulfite. 2H[AuCly] + 3Na2S20s + 3H20 — 2Au + 3802 + 3Na2SOs + 8HCI 4. Purification: The precipitated gold is then purified through processes such as ion exchange, electrowinning, or distillation, to remove impurities and improve its quality. 5. Recover : The purified gold is then recovered for reuse.