Chemical pyrolysis of E-waste plastics: Char characterization

Yafei Shen; Xingming Chen; Xinlei Ge; Mindong Chen

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.02.096

Chemical pyrolysis of E-waste plastics: Char characterization

J Environ Manage. 2018 May 15:214:94-103. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.02.096. Epub 2018 Mar 5.

Authors

Yafei Shen¹, Xingming Chen², Xinlei Ge³, Mindong Chen³

Affiliations

¹ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (AEMPC), School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology (AEET), School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China. Electronic address: shen1225@nuist.edu.cn.
² Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (AEMPC), School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China.
³ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (AEMPC), School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology (AEET), School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China.

PMID: 29518601
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.02.096

Abstract

This work studied the disposal of the non-metallic fraction from waste printed circuit board (NMF-WPCB) via the chemical pretreatments followed by pyrolysis. As a main heavy metal, the metallic Cu could be significantly removed by 92.4% using the HCl leaching process. Subsequently, the organic-Br in the brominated flame retardants (BFRs) plastics could be converted into HBr by pyrolysis. The alkali pretreatment was benefit for the Br fixation in the solid char. The Br fixation efficiency could reach up to 53.6% by the NaOH pretreatment followed by the pyrolysis process. The formed HBr could react with NaOH/KOH to generate the stabilized NaBr/KBr. Therefore, the integrated chemical pretreatment could be used for the eco-friendly disposal of the NMF-WPCB via pyrolysis.

Keywords: Char characterization; E-wastes; Plastic; Pyrolysis; Waste printed circuit boards (WPCB).

MeSH terms

Electronic Waste*
Flame Retardants
Metals, Heavy
Plastics*

Substances

Flame Retardants
Metals, Heavy
Plastics