title: Characterisation of metals in the electronic waste of complex mixtures of end-of-life ICT products for development of cleaner recovery technology.
abstract: Recycling of valuable metals from electronic waste, especially complex mixtures of end-of-life information and communication technology (ICT) products, is of great difficulty due to their complexity and heterogeneity. One of the important reasons is the lack of comprehensive characterisation on such materials, i.e. accurate compositions, physical/chemical properties. In the present research, we focus on developing methodologies for the characterisation of metals in an industrially processed ICT waste. The morphology, particle size distribution, compositional distribution, occurrence, liberation as well as the thermo-chemical properties of the ICT waste were investigated with various characterisation techniques, including X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersed spectroscopy (EDS). Due to the high heterogeneity of the material, special sample preparation procedures were introduced to minimise the discrepancies during compositional analyses. As a result, a clearer overview of the ICT waste has been reached. This research provides better understanding of the extractability of each metal and improves the awareness of potential obstacles for extraction. It will lead to smarter decisions during further development of a clean and effective recovery process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, TU Delft, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Z H I
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Ironmaking Department, R&D, Tata Steel, 1970 CA IJmuiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, TU Delft, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sietsma
authors.affiliation: Business Development, Van Gansewinkel Groep BV, 5657 DH Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Agterhuis
authors.affiliation: Business Development, Van Gansewinkel Groep BV, 5657 DH Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Visser
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, TU Delft, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D002152:Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; D059029:Electronic Waste / Q000032:analysis*; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis*; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis*; D010316:Particle Size; D059027:Recycling / Q000379:methods; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D008670:Metals
keywords: Characterisation; ICT waste; Metal recovery; Process design