The effect of product design on WEEE recycling – case mobile phone

ARVI Final seminar 16.1.2017

16.1.2017Helsinki

John Bachér, ResearchScientist, VTT Ltd

(W)EEE in circular economy

Raw materials

Recovery & Refining

Manufacturing & designUse

End-of-life & Recycling

Losses

Complex composition

Valuable materials

DynamicHazardousmaterials

• Global WEEE generation around 20 - 50 Mt, within EU around 12 Mt1

• Heterogeneous mixture of different appliances with complex design which changes in time

• Contains valuable, precious and critical metals as well as harmful substances

1 UNEP, 2013. Metal Recycling: Opportunities, Limits, Infrastructure A Report of the Working Group on the Global Metal Flows to the International Resource Panel. Reuter, M. A.; Hudson, C.; van Schaik, A.; Heiskanen, K.; Meskers, C.; Hagelüken, C. ISBN: 978-92-807-3267-2

Liberation of PCA and dust generationin a size reduction process

Source: Bachér J. & Kaartinen, T. 2016. Liberation of Printed Circuit Assembly (PCA) and dust generation in relation to mobile phone design in a size reduction process. Waste Management.

0,01

0,10

1,00

10,00

100,00

MA

SS

SH

AR

E (%

)

PARTICLE SIZE (MM)

Regular phone Sophisticated phone

0102030405060

958575655545352515<15

(%)

LIBERATION OF PCA (%)

Regular phone Sophisticated phone

Dusts and their composition

1,0

10,0

100,0

1000,0

La Pd Au Nd Ag

Qua

ntity

in d

ust f

ract

ion

[g/t f

eed]

Regular phone Sophisticated phone

Design related aspects and their impact to liberation and dust composition

Liberation (PCA/B) (+ = improves liberation)

Dust composition (+ = lower content to be lost through

dust)

Modularity of main-components/parts

+ +

Platform based PCA-assembly - -

Attachment method (adhesive) - ?

Less connection per part + +

Smaller component size - +/-

Tensile supporting structure +/- +

Thank you!