Intelligent Preprocessing of Electronic Waste For Recycling: A Source for Critical Materials

Loomis, Amy Eleanor; Ford, Patrick Benjamin

Student Work

Intelligent Preprocessing of Electronic Waste For Recycling: A Source for Critical Materials Public

A study of the end of life treatment of mobile phones identified a major challenge to the optimization of the preprocessing stage of recycling. The lack of supply chain transparency in the mobile phone life cycle limits recyclers’ knowledge of the chemical composition of incoming waste, reducing the effectiveness of this critical stage of resource recovery. X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF) was employed to identify the chemical composition of shredded electronic waste, and the results support XRF implementation to enable intelligent sorting during preprocessing. By identifying profitable precious metals and hazardous materials in these waste streams with XRF, recyclers can make more informed decisions regarding electronic waste handling during preprocessing.

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