Testing Electronic Device Components for RoHS/WEEE Compliance Using Microwave Digestion and ICP-OES

摘要

With electronic devices being such an integral part of our everyday lives, the correct handling of their disposal is of great environmental importance. Many of the components within these devices can contain hazardous substances and, for that reason, the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulations together with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directives were created in Europe to monitor a suite of heavy metals and organic compounds commonly found in device components. To comply with these directives, manufacturers of electronic devices must show that their products do not exceed the regulatory levels for these substances. The main analytical challenge in determining heavy metal levels in these materials is sample preparation, specifically how to prepare such diverse sample types without losing volatile elements, particularly mercury, during the digestion process. This study evaluates the combination of microwave sample preparation and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) to meet the challenges of measuring a suite of heavy metals in a wide range of electronic components for RoHS/WEEE compliance.