MECHANICAL PROCESSING OF LOW GRADE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS

摘要

Printed circuit boards are the most complex components in electronic products. They contain a large variety of materials. Discarding of electronic equipment requires the dismantling of the printed circuit boards. In Europe the regulations regarding e-scrap give a special paragraph for PCB's with guide lines for the dismantling. The composition has changed in the last decades regarding the type of components and the level of precious metals. PCB's are stripped of hazardous components and processed to recover ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Several tests are presented here for the recovery of copper with mechanical concentration techniques. For this purpose several batches of PCB's poor in copper and are processed. The inefficiency of mechanical processes for copper is demonstrated. The waste fractions still contain copper. Alternative processing possibilities are discussed. Guidelines are given for a more optimal design.