The waste from end-of-life electrical
and electronic equipment
has become the fastest growing waste problem in the world. The difficult-to-treat
waste-printed circuit boards (WPCBs), which are nearly 3–6
wt % of the total electronic waste, generate great environmental concern
nowadays. For WPCB treatment and recycling, the mechanical–physical
method has turned out to be more technologically and economically
feasible. In this work, the mechanical–physical treatment and
recycling technologies for WPCBs were investigated, and future research
was directed as well. Removing electric and electronic components
(EECs) from WPCBs is critical for their crushing and metal recovery;
however, environmentally friendly and high-efficiency removal techniques
need be developed. Concentrated metals rich in Cu, Al, Au, Pb, and
Sn recovered from WPCBs need be further refined to add to their economic
values. The low value-added nonmetallic fraction of waste-printed
circuit boards (NMF-WPCBs) accounts for approximately 60 wt % of the
WPCBs. From the perspective of environmental management, a zero-waste
approach to recycling them should be developed to gain values. Preparing
polymer composites and geopolymers offers many advantages and has
potential applications in various fields, especially as construction
and building materials. However, the mechanical and thermal properties
of NMF-WPCBs composites should be further improved for preparing polymer
composites. Surface modification or filler blending could be applied
to improve the interfacial comparability between NMF-WPCBs and the
polymer matrix. The NMF-WPCBs shows potential in preparing cement
mortar and geological polymers, but the environmental safety resulting
from metals needs to be taken into account. This study will provide
a significant reference for the industrial recycling of NMF-WPCBs.