Analysis of Factors with Considerable Action on Recycling WEEE Focused on Metals Recovery
Abstract
From an economic point of view, the driving force of rapid technological development of WEEE recycling solutions is the recovery of valuable metals, until not long ago just on copper and gold. Nowadays many other metals have become the target of WEEE recycling. From this point of view, the importance of WEEE recycling results from the analysis of factors with considerable action on this process. This paper highlights the necessity of WEEE recycling by analyzing the following key issues regarding the recovery of valuable metals. The study was mainly focused on the following aspects: electronic waste is a significant source of base and precious metals, and also of scarce metals; many of the metals which are essential in the manufacture of EEE; the availability of metals necessary in the production of EEE constantly decreases; supply shortages for many elements obtained from natural resources; worldwide ore reserves are limited and unequally distributed; in the world, the production of essential metals in the construction of a mobile phone is dominated by a few companies; the extraction of many metals in a ore deposit is co-dependent on other factors.
References
[2]. Caffarey M., Recycling Electronic End of Life Materials, SERDC, www.serdc.org, October 2012.
[3]. Rotter V. S., Flamme S., Münster F. H., Ueberschaar M., Chancerel P., Recovery of Critical Metals - Towards a Paradim Shift in WEEE Recycling, ISWA World Congress Viena, 2003.
[4]. Baldé C. P., Wang F., Kuehr R., Huisman J., The global ewaste monitor – 2014, United Nations University, IAS – SCYCLE, Bonn, Germany, 2015.
[5]. Rotter V. S., Flamme S., Münster F. H., Ueberschaar M., Chancerel P., Recovery of Critical Metals – Towards a Paradim Shift in WEEE Recycling, ISWA World Congress Viena, 2003.
[6]. Evans C., Renz R., McCullough E., Lawrence S., Pavlenko N., Suter S., Brundage A., Hecht J., Lizas D., Bailey P., Case Study on Critical Metals in Mobile Phones. Final Report, http://www.oecd.org/env/waste/smm-casestudies.htm.
[7]. Dodson J. R., Hunt A. J., Parker H. L., Yang Y., Clark J. H., Elemental sustainability: Towards the total recovery of scarce metals, Chemical Engineering and Processing, 51, p. 69-78, 2012.
[8]. Reuter M. A., Hudson C., Van Schaik A., Heiskanen K., Meskers C., Hagelüken C., Metal Recycling: Opportunities, Limits, Infrastructure, A Report of the Working Group on the Global Metal Flows to the International Resource Panel., UNEP, www.unep.org, 2013.
[9]. Buchert M., Schüler D., Bleher D., Sustainable Innovation and Technology Transfer Industrial Sector Studies. Critical Metals for Future Sustainable Technologies and their Recycling Potential, United Nations Environment Programme & United Nations University, July 2009.
[10]. ***, EurActiv, EU Starts Screening Raw Materials ‘Critical List’|EU – European Information on Sustainable Dev., http://www.euractiv.com/en/sustainability/eu-starts-screening-rawmaterials-critical-list/article-187791, 2009.
[11]. Rhodes C., Short on reserves: the planet’s metal reserves could be running out sooner that we think. We need to start recycling them urgently, Chem. Ind. 16, 2008.
[12]. Hagelüken C., Metal Recovery from e-scrap in a global environment. Technical capabilities, challanges and experience gained, 6th session of OEWG Basel Convention, 7 sept. 2007.
[13]. ***, A Sustainable Materials Management Case Study: Critical Metals and Mobile Devices, OECD, http://www.oecd.org, 2011.
[14]. ***, Case Study on Critical Metals in Mobile Phones. Final Report OECD, https://www.oecd.org.
[15]. ***, Materials Case Study 1: Critical Metals and Mobile Devices, Working Document OECD Environment Directorate, OECD, https://www.oecd.org, 2010.
[16]. Hagelüken C., Meskers C., Technology challenges to recover precious and special metals from complex products, http://ewasteguide.info, 2009.
[17]. Hagelüken C., Meskes C. E. M., Complex life cycles of precious and special metals. Linkages of Sustainability, T. Graedel, E. Van der Voet (eds.) MIT Press, 2010.
