Investigation of the thermal decomposition of printed circuit boards (PCBs) via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and analytical pyrolysis (Py-GC/MS)

摘要

The purpose of this study is to experimentally investigate the pyrolytic behavior of printed circuit boards (PCBs) waste fraction at a temperature range of 400 degrees C to 900 degrees C by means of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and analytical pyrolysis (Py-GC/MS) was carried out. The experimental results reveal that the chemical composition of the PCBs and the relatively high ash content (=79% w/w) are strongly connected with the high quantity of metals and ceramic materials. The main decomposition of PCBs occurs between 250 degrees C and 370 degrees C. The pyrolysis of PCBs showed a varying production of aromatic compounds such as phenol, bromophenol, styrene, methylstyrene, and bisphenol A as well as non-aromatic compounds such as acetone and bromomethane, which are strongly related with the initial chemical composition of PCBs. Moreover, Py-GC/MS revealed that temperature increase favours the production of aromatic hydrocarbons, while the phenol which is the most abundant compound produced, shows an opposite trend, as a result of its further decomposition to simpler products. Furthermore, brominated compounds produced, such as bromomethane and bromophenol, are derived from the flame retardant used during the manufacturing process and in that case the Py-GC/MS showed a slight decrease of brominated compounds with increase in temperature. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.