Printed circuit board recycling: a focus on a novel, efficient and sustainable process for spent critical metals recovery

In this article, we present a novel and sustainable approach for recycling printed circuit boards (PCBs), potentially enabling the complete transformation of collected waste into reusable raw materials. Our methodology starts with the disassembly of PCBs for the extraction of all electronic componen...

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Main Authors: Charpentier, Nicolas M., Xia, Dong, Gabriel, Jean-Christophe P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Académie des sciences 2024-05-01
Series:Comptes Rendus. Chimie
Subjects:
Online Access:https://comptes-rendus.academie-sciences.fr/chimie/articles/10.5802/crchim.291/
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author Charpentier, Nicolas M.
Xia, Dong
Gabriel, Jean-Christophe P.
author_facet Charpentier, Nicolas M.
Xia, Dong
Gabriel, Jean-Christophe P.
author_sort Charpentier, Nicolas M.
collection DOAJ
description In this article, we present a novel and sustainable approach for recycling printed circuit boards (PCBs), potentially enabling the complete transformation of collected waste into reusable raw materials. Our methodology starts with the disassembly of PCBs for the extraction of all electronic components (ECs). These ECs are then subjected to a classification process using advanced sorting techniques, including machine vision and multi-energy X-ray transmission spectroscopy powered by artificial intelligence, which allows ECs with similar elemental composition to be accurately sorted together. This sorting approach can effectively enrich the target elements up to 10,000 times their original content, enabling their subsequent recovery through dedicated physico-hydrometallurgical processes. These tailored methods offer enhanced efficiency and improved environmental sustainability for recycling valuable and critical elements such as rare earth elements, tantalum, and platinum group metals. Notably, our approach not only demonstrates superior sustainability but also offers increased economic viability, making it a more financially profitable solution.
format Article
id doaj-art-14caeb741c9042a8b2ec0e9ef35c53b1
institution Kabale University
issn 1878-1543
language English
publishDate 2024-05-01
publisher Académie des sciences
record_format Article
series Comptes Rendus. Chimie
spelling doaj-art-14caeb741c9042a8b2ec0e9ef35c53b12025-02-07T13:41:01ZengAcadémie des sciencesComptes Rendus. Chimie1878-15432024-05-0111110.5802/crchim.29110.5802/crchim.291Printed circuit board recycling: a focus on a novel, efficient and sustainable process for spent critical metals recoveryCharpentier, Nicolas M.0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2664-8935Xia, Dong1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8647-2783Gabriel, Jean-Christophe P.2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0194-683XUniversité Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, NIMBE, LICSEN, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, FranceSCARCE Laboratory, Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N), Nanyang Technological University, 637553, SingaporeSCARCE Laboratory, Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N), Nanyang Technological University, 637553, Singapore; Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, NIMBE, LICSEN, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, FranceIn this article, we present a novel and sustainable approach for recycling printed circuit boards (PCBs), potentially enabling the complete transformation of collected waste into reusable raw materials. Our methodology starts with the disassembly of PCBs for the extraction of all electronic components (ECs). These ECs are then subjected to a classification process using advanced sorting techniques, including machine vision and multi-energy X-ray transmission spectroscopy powered by artificial intelligence, which allows ECs with similar elemental composition to be accurately sorted together. This sorting approach can effectively enrich the target elements up to 10,000 times their original content, enabling their subsequent recovery through dedicated physico-hydrometallurgical processes. These tailored methods offer enhanced efficiency and improved environmental sustainability for recycling valuable and critical elements such as rare earth elements, tantalum, and platinum group metals. Notably, our approach not only demonstrates superior sustainability but also offers increased economic viability, making it a more financially profitable solution.https://comptes-rendus.academie-sciences.fr/chimie/articles/10.5802/crchim.291/RecyclingWaste PCBsMachine visionMulti-energy X-ray transmission
spellingShingle Charpentier, Nicolas M.
Xia, Dong
Gabriel, Jean-Christophe P.
Printed circuit board recycling: a focus on a novel, efficient and sustainable process for spent critical metals recovery
Comptes Rendus. Chimie
Recycling
Waste PCBs
Machine vision
Multi-energy X-ray transmission
title Printed circuit board recycling: a focus on a novel, efficient and sustainable process for spent critical metals recovery
title_full Printed circuit board recycling: a focus on a novel, efficient and sustainable process for spent critical metals recovery
title_fullStr Printed circuit board recycling: a focus on a novel, efficient and sustainable process for spent critical metals recovery
title_full_unstemmed Printed circuit board recycling: a focus on a novel, efficient and sustainable process for spent critical metals recovery
title_short Printed circuit board recycling: a focus on a novel, efficient and sustainable process for spent critical metals recovery
title_sort printed circuit board recycling a focus on a novel efficient and sustainable process for spent critical metals recovery
topic Recycling
Waste PCBs
Machine vision
Multi-energy X-ray transmission
url https://comptes-rendus.academie-sciences.fr/chimie/articles/10.5802/crchim.291/
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AT xiadong printedcircuitboardrecyclingafocusonanovelefficientandsustainableprocessforspentcriticalmetalsrecovery
AT gabrieljeanchristophep printedcircuitboardrecyclingafocusonanovelefficientandsustainableprocessforspentcriticalmetalsrecovery