Techniques for Sorting Components from Dismembered Medical PCBs

摘要

A printed circuit board, or PCB, is a piece of hardware that acts as a base and provide electrical connections to the mounted components. PCBs are present in almost all types of electronic waste including cell phones, computers, printers, and medical devices. Waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is one the fastest growing waste streams in the EU and is expected to grow to more than 12 million tons by 2020 [1]. The waste PCBs contain metals and major hazardous components and this make them the most difficult parts of WEEE to be recycled. Waste PCBs recycling is a preoccupation not only to their rich content, but also due to their potential risk for environment and human health. E-waste causes damage the nervous system, circulatory system, kidneys, lungs or skin [2], The paper aims to develop a smart sorting system for components resulted from dismembered medical PCBs. The proposed application is based on image processing and it was tested at a laboratory scale. The application can be included in a complex e-waste sorting system.