Waste Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Recycling Techniques

Chao Ning, Carol Sze Ki Lin, David Chi Wai Hui, Gordon McKay*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

124 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

With the development of technologies and the change of consumer attitudes, the amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is increasing annually. As the core part of WEEE, the waste printed circuit board (WPCB) is a dangerous waste but at the same time a rich resource for various kinds of materials. In this work, various WPCB treatment methods as well as WPCB recycling techniques divided into direct treatment (landfill and incineration), primitive recycling technology (pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, biometallurgy and primitive full recovery of NMF-non metallic fraction), and advanced recycling technology (mechanical separation, direct use and modification of NMF) are reviewed and analyzed based on their advantages and disadvantages. Also, the evaluation criteria are discussed including economic, environmental, and gate-to-market ability. This review indicates the future research direction of WPCB recycling should focus on a combination of several techniques or in series recycling to maximize the benefits of process.

Original languageEnglish
Article number43
JournalTopics in Current Chemistry
Volume375
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2017

Keywords

  • Hydrometallurgy
  • Mechanic separation
  • Performance evaluation
  • Pyrometallurgy
  • Recycling techniques
  • Waste printed circuit board

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