Electronic waste (E-Waste) recycling Electronic waste Electronic waste is defined as electronic equipments and products connected with

power plug, batteries which have become obsolete due to: Advancement in technology Changes in fashion, style and status Nearing the end of their useful life.

These equipment and products include computers, office electronic equipment, entertainment device electronics, mobile phones, television sets and refrigerators. This definition includes used electronics which are intended for reuse, resale, salvage, recycling and disposal. Classification of e-waste: E-waste encompasses ever growing range of obsolete: i. ii. iii. iv. v. Electronic devices such as computers, servers, main frames, monitors, TVs and display devices. Telecommunication devices such as cellular phones & pagers, calculators, audio and video devices, printers, scanners, copiers and fax machines besides refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, and microwave ovens. Recording devices such as DVDs, CDs, floppies, tapes, printing cartridges, military electronic waste and automobile catalytic converters. Electronic components such as chips, processors, mother boards and printed circuit boards. Industrial electronics such as sensors, alarms, sirens, security devices and automobile electronic devices.

Causes of e-waste Disposal of computers is a problem for 2 main reasons: 1. The rapid growth of technology devices. It is estimated that there are over a billion personal computers in the world at present. In developed countries these have an average life span of only 2 years. In the United States alone there are over 300 million obsolete computers. While Internet and computer use in Latin America and the Caribbean lags behind their northern neighbors, this region has experienced a 371% increase in Internet use from 2000-2005. As the digital divide narrows, Latin America must address the question of disposal of large numbers of "end of life" computers and other ICT equipment. 2. Computers contain toxic materials Thousand of substances are used to manufacture a computer. To produce one computer 240 kg of fossil fuel, 22kg of chemicals and 1500kg of water are needed. When dead computers are placed in landfills, burned or improperly recycled these substances are leased into the ground, air, and water causing more damages.

Statistics about E-Waste Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2006-7estimated that, globally 50 million tons of E-waste are produced each year with USA discarding 30 million computers each year and 100 million phones disposed in Europe each year. It also estimated that only 15-20% of the e-waste produced globally is recycled and the rest of these electronics going directly into landfills and incinerators. According to a report by UNEP titled, "Recycling - from E-Waste to Resources," the amount of e-waste being produced could rise by as much as 500 percent over the next decade in some countries, such as India. The United States is the world leader in producing electronic waste, tossing away about 3 million tons each year, with China remaining the major ewaste dumping ground for developed countries with an estimate of 2.3 million tons as per 2010 estimates.

E-waste management Recycling

Recycling or processing e-waste to extract the minerals trapped inside and reusing the rest of the components is a viable solution to solve the menace of e-waste. Today electronic waste recycling business is in all areas of the developed world a large and rapidly consolidating business. Part of this evolution has involved greater diversion of electronic waste from energy-intensive downcycling processes, where an equipment is reverted to a raw material form. This diversion is achieved through reuse and refurbishing. The environmental and social benefits of reuse include diminished demand for new products and virgin raw materials (with their own environmental issues); larger quantities of pure water and electricity for associated manufacturing; less packaging per unit; availability of technology to wider swaths of society due to greater affordability of products; and diminished use of landfills. Audiovisual components, televisions, VCRs, stereo equipment, mobile phones, other handheld devices, and computer components contain valuable elements and substances suitable for reclamation, including lead, copper, and gold. One of the major challenges is recycling the printed circuit boards from the electronic wastes. The circuit boards contain such precious metals as gold, silver, platinum, etc. and such base metals as copper, iron, aluminum, etc. Conventional method employed is mechanical shredding and separation but the recycling efficiency is low. Alternative methods such as cryogenic decomposition have been studied for printed circuit board recycling,[29] and some other methods are still under investigation. Benefits of e-Waste Recycling The benefits of e-waste recycling include:
1)

Elimination of Health and Environment Hazards

The major benefits of e-waste recycling are the elimination of the health and environment hazards caused by disposal of untreated e-waste in landfills. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates more than four million tons of e-waste are hitting landfills each year, with the numbers compounding every year. Much of this e-waste contains significant quantities of non-biodegradable toxic substances. Computers, servers, and other IT hardware contain mercury, lead, barium, arsenic, antimony, and cadmium. Flat-panel light displays contain mercury and Cathode ray tubes (CRT) monitors contain lead. When e-waste finds its way into landfills such toxic metals seep out and contaminate the soil and water, causing health problems and polluting the atmosphere. Incinerating e-waste produces volatilized heavy metals that cause an even more significant public health hazard. Recycling e-waste helps in mitigating health and environmental hazards that may result from their poor disposal. Recycling diverts nearly 70 million tons of e-waste away from landfills and incinerators every year. A major health benefit of recycling relates to reduction of pollution. Mining and processing minerals emit 1.5 tons of toxic emissions into the air and water every year. E-waste recycling contributes to eliminating ten major categories of air pollutants and eight major categories of water pollutants.
2)

Helps in Conservation of Resources

A major benefit of recycling relates to conservation of the worlds precious and finite natural resources such as water, minerals, and timber. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection estimates that recycling one million tons of steel saves mining of 1.3 million tons of iron ore, 718,000 tons of coal, and 62,000 tons of limestone that would otherwise go to produce the one million tons of steel afresh. Recycling e-waste yields similar benefits. Most e-waste contains minerals such as gold, silver, bauxite, copper, lead and tin. For example most cell phone and computer manufacturers have buy-back offers allowing customers to deposit their e-waste. Recycling such e-waste provides them with a steady supply of raw materials without having to exploit the nature to find new sources of raw materials. Customers benefit when companies pass on the resultant cost benefits in product pricing.
3)

Contributes to Energy Efficiency

The energy cost to recycle e-waste for minerals is considerably less than the energy costs to mine minerals. For instance, recycling aluminum takes 95 percent less energy compared to making aluminum from raw materials, and the resultant annual savings compares to around 19 million barrels of oil or enough energy to supply electricity to 18 million households a year. Similarly, recycling steel saves 60 percent energy compared to making it

afresh, recycling plastics save 70 percent energy and recycling glass saves 40 percent energy. Energy savings resultant from e-waste recycling also produce many indirect benefits such as less dependence on finite oil reserves, reduction of air pollution caused by energy production, and decline in greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.
4)

Contributes to Economic Growth

The financial benefits of recycling to generate income makes it one of the fastest growing business opportunities in many counrties. The recycling industry generates $236 billion in gross annual sales and $37 billion in annual payrolls in United States of America. Recycling 10,000 tons of solid waste creates 36 jobs in collecting, processing, and manufacturing the waste United States. The financial benefits of e-waste recycling are in stark contrast to dumping e-waste in landfills or incinerating e-waste. Such methods employ only a few people and, far from generating income, lead to many unproductive expenses such as transportation costs and indirect health costs. Even without taking into account the sale of recycled materials, the expenses for recycling work out less in comparison to dumping e-waste in landfills and incinerating e-waste.