Issue 2, 2023

The reuse of electronic components from waste printed circuit boards: a critical review

Abstract

As a key component of all electrical and electronic equipment, waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) are an important target for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) treatment. Over the years, many researchers have developed a variety of means to recycle WPCBs. However, current research into the reuse of undamaged electronic components (ECs) is not as extensive as that conducted on recycling of metals from WPCBs. In fact, most of the ECs on WPCBs still have a high level of functionality and usability at the time of their recycling. Reusing “obsolete ECs” that are far from reaching the end of their useful life will help to mitigate the excessive carbon emissions associated with the mass manufacture of components, save scarce resources and eliminate potential exposure to hazardous substances. Therefore, we will discuss the current recycling system of WPCBs in different regions of the world, and then introduce the research progress of recycling of ECs on WPCBs from both theoretical and applied aspects. First, this paper analyzes 1788 related literature studies through CiteSpace and it was found that although there is more research on recycling of WPCBs in developing countries such as China and Indonesia, there is still a gap between it and practical industrial applications. The paper then presents the theoretical foundation and research progress of the research related to the reuse of ECs. More efficient and less damaging disassembly methods imply higher reuse rates and higher economic efficiency. Choosing the appropriate disassembly method according to different board types is the first and key step in reusing ECs on WPCBs.

Graphical abstract: The reuse of electronic components from waste printed circuit boards: a critical review

Associated articles

Article information

Article type
Critical Review
Submitted
30 okt 2022
Accepted
14 des 2022
First published
15 des 2022
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Environ. Sci.: Adv., 2023,2, 196-214

The reuse of electronic components from waste printed circuit boards: a critical review

W. Zhao, J. Xu, W. Fei, Z. Liu, W. He and G. Li, Environ. Sci.: Adv., 2023, 2, 196 DOI: 10.1039/D2VA00266C

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements