A preliminary categorization of end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment as secondary metal resources

Oguchi, Masahiro; Murakami, Shinsuke; Sakanakura, Hirofumi; Kida, Akiko; Kameya, Takashi

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2011.05.009

Cited by 204 publications

(112 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Interestingly, the fraction of gold, although tiny at 0.04 % by weight, is still approximately 200 times greater than that found in a South African gold mine (Takahashi et al 2009). This leads to consideration of waste electrical and electronic equipment as a resource to be mined (Oguchi et al 2011), a viewpoint which may become increasingly important as resource scarcity becomes more acute in the future. The quantity of valuable materials from mobile phones is dependent on the recycling method, with the recommendation that mobile phones are treated separately to other e-waste due to their highly complex construction (Hageluken 2006;Huisman 2004).…”

Section: Recyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Redefining scope: the true environmental impact of smartphones?

Suckling

Lee

2015

Int J Life Cycle Assess

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Purpose The aim of this study is to explore the literature surrounding the environmental impact of mobile phones and the implications of moving from the current business model of selling, using and discarding phones to a product service system based upon a cloud service. The exploration of the impacts relating to this shift and subsequent change in scope is explored in relation to the life cycle profile of a typical smartphone. Methods A literature study is conducted into the existing literature in order to define the characteristics of a Btypicalŝ martphone. Focus is given to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in different life cycle phases in line with that reported in the majority of literature. Usage patterns from literature are presented in order to show how a smartphone is increasingly responsible for not only data consumption but also data generation. The subsequent consequences of this for the balance of the life cycle phases are explored with the inclusion of wider elements in the potential expanded mobile infrastructure, such as servers and the network. Results and discussion From the available literature, the manufacturing phase is shown to dominate the life cycle of a Btypical^smartphone for GHG emissions. Smartphone users are shown to be increasingly reliant upon the internet for provision of their communications. Adding a server into the scope of a smartphone is shown to increase the use phase impact from 8.5 to 18.0 kg CO 2 -eq, other phases are less affected. Addition of the network increases the use phase by another 24.7 kg CO 2 -eq. In addition, it is shown that take-back of mobile phones is not effective at present and that prompt return of the phones could result in reduction in impact by best reuse potential and further reduction in toxic emissions through inappropriate disposal. Conclusions The way in which consumers interact with their phones is changing, leading to a system which is far more integrated with the internet. A product service system based upon a cloud service highlights the need for improved energy efficiency to make greatest reduction in GHG emissions in the use phase, and gives a mechanism to exploit residual value of the handsets by timely return of the phones, their components and recovery of materials.

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Section: Recyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Redefining scope: the true environmental impact of smartphones?

Suckling

Lee

2015

Int J Life Cycle Assess

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“…Size, functionality, use of products [23] 10 Documentation & EoL treatment of e-products EoL processing infrastructure [19] 6 EoL treatment options [24] 5 Collection and material recovery Functionality [22] 58 Documentation and EoL management Material composition [25] 4 Active disassembly Mechanical properties & chemical composition [26] Product design and recycling processes Metal content and EoL quantities [27] 6 EoL management * Number of categories or fractions to which e-products are assigned to.…”

Section: Categories and Fractions Based On Types * To Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Product Family Approach in E-Waste Management: A Conceptual Framework for Circular Economy

Parajuly

2017

Sustainability

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Abstract:As the need for a more circular model is being increasingly pronounced, a fundamental change in the end-of-life (EoL) management of electrical and electronic products (e-products) is required in order to prevent the resource losses and to promote the reuse of products and components with remaining functionality. However, the diversity of product types, design features, and material compositions pose serious challenges for the EoL managers and legislators alike. In order to address these challenges, we propose a framework that is based on the 'product family' philosophy, which has been used in the manufacturing sector for a long time. For this, the product families can be built based on intrinsic and extrinsic attributes of e-products as well as of the EoL management system. Such an approach has the potential to improve the current EoL practices and to support designers in making EoL thinking operational during the product design stage. If supported by a better EoL collection, presorting and testing platform, and a family-centric approach for material recovery, such a framework carries the potential to avoid the losses occurring in today's e-waste management system. This, in turn, could facilitate a smooth transition towards a circular model for the electrical and electronic industry.

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“…Covering the main uses of indium in electrical and electronic products, 11 products were identified. The modular design of the products enabled this systematic approach, which starts from the metal, by way of the respective components, up to the final product For the next step a methodological approach developed by Oguchi et al (2011) was adopted. In the work of Oguchi et al (2011), the statistical method of cluster analysis was used to group electrical and electronic products according to product--specific attributes.…”

Section: Planning Criteria For the Design Of Collection Groupsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The modular design of the products enabled this systematic approach, which starts from the metal, by way of the respective components, up to the final product For the next step a methodological approach developed by Oguchi et al (2011) was adopted. In the work of Oguchi et al (2011), the statistical method of cluster analysis was used to group electrical and electronic products according to product--specific attributes. With the agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis (Bortz and Schuster, 2010), the products can merge successively based on selected parameters.…”

Section: Planning Criteria For the Design Of Collection Groupsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With the agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis (Bortz and Schuster, 2010), the products can merge successively based on selected parameters. In Oguchi et al (2011), metal concentrations and their waste generation are considered, which leads to a two--dimensional visualisation, which in turn allows the derivation of clusters of products for a collection process that aims to prioritise resource intensity. Although this methodology is already a fundamental improvement for an optimised recycling chain, it shows a major weakness in its practical implementation.…”

Section: Planning Criteria For the Design Of Collection Groupsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Resource-efficient conception of waste electrical and electronic equipment collection groups

Gries

Wilts²

2015

Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Waste and R

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Abstract:Critical metals are in great demand by the electrical and electronics industry, so waste electrical and electronic equipment represents a significant source of secondary raw materials. Owing to low recycling rates and the concomitant supply risks associated with critical metals, the closure of the material cycles is highly relevant to the German economy. Losses of these metals occur from collection until their material recovery, along the entire disposal chain of waste electrical and electronic equipment. This paper develops planning criteria for the design of collection groups to achieve higher recovery amounts of such metals. The aim is to clarify what amounts of metals exist, both product--specific and on the market, how the dismantling of the products is constructed and how collection groups can be arranged with planning criteria oriented towards resource conservation. The analysis is a snapshot using the example of indium and selected products. A procedure is presented and findings identified which are transferable to various critical metals and to waste electrical and electronic equipment. The results show that grouping of products according to resource amounts and the dismantling effort enables forward--looking and resource--efficient planning of the treatment of every single collection group.

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A preliminary categorization of end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment as secondary metal resources

Cited by 204 publications

References 15 publications

Redefining scope: the true environmental impact of smartphones?

Redefining scope: the true environmental impact of smartphones?

Product Family Approach in E-Waste Management: A Conceptual Framework for Circular Economy

Resource-efficient conception of waste electrical and electronic equipment collection groups

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