E-scrap recycling system and technologies in Japan

摘要

A practical usage of urban mine and its system formation are one of the most challenging and important issue to be progressed. In Japan, Home Appliance Recycling Law and End-of-Life Vehicle Recycling Law are enforced since 2001 (former) and 2005 (latter). These Laws may play a part to reduce illegal waste disposals and to properly control hazardous substances. However, in the case of recycling, it seems less affected because a further recovery procedure, for example recovery of less-common-metals, has not additionally and adequately installed. Mainly the previously existing recycling processes are operated. According to the sustainable resource management, further progress for the special minor metals recovery may become the key issue. If any recovery system is not taken into consideration, rare metals will dissipate all over the land in the future. In the case of waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), however, when Cu, Au, and Ag are collected for recycling, rare metals can also be gathered with them. If minor rare metals are separated from WEEE by proper technique and are accumulated for reservation, we can consider them as resources. A possibility of minor rare metals recycling was shown in this presentation, which could have a self-supporting economical system by devising the collection system and by changing the recycling system related with a commercial transaction.