1. Introduction
In the Philippines, the quantity of discarded electronic products is growing more rapidly. This is because of high demands from consumers for new products due to technological advancement. Because of the demands, manufacturers produce economical electronic products that cannot be upgraded and repaired (Mañalac, 2011).
With this, life spans of electronic products are shortened thus there is an increase in the amount of disposed of electronic products.
The e-waste disposal figures indicate the measure of waste resources that have a high potential for recovery from the waste stream (Chung, 2012).
E-waste posed threats to human and to the environment. E-waste contains lead and short-term exposure to high levels of this material can cause vomiting, diarrhea, convulsion, coma, or even death. It also
contains mercury that can cause brain and liver damage once ingested or inhaled. It has chromium that can cause DNA damage and can also cause eye irritation, which may lead to a permanent eye injury. It also has
cadmium that can cause symptoms of food poisoning and has beryllium that can cause lung cancer (EMPA, 2009). E-waste such as computer wastes that are placed in landfills produced contaminated leachates that eventually pollute groundwater (Ramanchandra and Saira, 2009). In addition, acids and sludge produced from melting computer chips disposed on the ground could cause acidification of soil.
The above literature and studies support this present study as they serve bases on the importance of recycling e-waste before the said hazards could cause more serious problems to humanity and the environment than they have already.
Abstract: This study aimed to present one basic approach in helping reduce electronic waste. Specifically the paper presented the type of e-waste collected in a typical
household in the Province of Samar. It likewise identified what are re-usable electronics components and assessed the quality of recovered items through a dismantling-
desoldering process and using a digital multimeter. The results of the study show that the collected household e-wastes is composed of 79% plastics, metals, and screws, glass, and 21% printed circuit boards with assorted electronic components such as resistors,
capacitors, diodes, transistors, inductors and ICs, and different wires and connectors and transformers that were effectively recovered and retrieved through disassembling and dismantling. The functionality of the retrieved electronic components was tested and results show that more than 80% of the recovered electronic components are still functional and in good condition which can be reused.
Keywords: e-waste recycling, informal recycling, printed circuit board, hazardous waste
Reducing Electronic Waste from
Households thru Recovery for Re-use
April Cathy S. Manota
Samar State University, Philippines
End-of-life electronic devices can have different fates. These electronic items could be reused, stored, recycled, and could be landfilled. However, reusing and storing of electronic items are just intermediate.
Eventually, it will still end up being recycled or landfilled. In the Philippines, only 20 percent is being recycled since recycling in this country is new and awareness on recycling practices is low and the remaining 80 percent of e-wastes are being landfilled (Peralta and Fontanos, 2006).
The major problem in recycling is the practice of informal recycling. The norm of selling e-waste to individual collectors encourage the growth of a strong informal recycling sector (Chi, Streicher-Porte, Wang, & Reuter, 2010). The informal recycling processes are only done in small workshops or even in backyards through manual disassembly and open burning (Liu, Tanaka, & Matsui, 2006). Sometimes circuit boards are soaked in acid baths to recover gold or other metals and the acid baths were just dumped into surface water causing great impacts such as elevated blood lead levels in children and soil and water contaminated with heavy metals (Luther, 2010). These practices threat not only people involved in the said practice but also other people and the environment.
A simple method of recovering electronic components from printed circuit boards such as dismantling, disassembly, and desoldering can be used. Such a method eliminates the need to use acid baths for printed circuit boards. It is the possibility of using this method in trying to recover electronic components from household equipment/appliances explored in this paper.
In the process, it will also present the kind and quantity of recoverable e-wastes and determine the usability/functionality of the recovered items.
2. Objectives
This paper examined the type of e- waste in the countryside and determined the characteristics of recovered wastes through dismantling and desoldering process, specifically it;
1. Determine the common types and characteristics of electronic wastes 2. Quantify the number of recoverable
electronic components from e-waste.
3. Methodology
3.1. Collection of E-waste
Prior to the actual conduct of the collection of e-waste, the researcher asked for permission from the barangay captains of the four urban barangays of Calbayog City and of the three urban barangays of
Catbalogan City to collect e-waste in their respective barangays through a letter of consent. Upon approval, the researcher went to the said barangays to collect the e-waste.
The collection of e-wastes was done from the twenty-five households in each of the four barangays of Calbayog City – Brgy.
Balud, Brgy. Central, Brgy. East Awang, and Brgy. West Awang, and from thirty-five households each from Brgy. 7, and Brgy. 8, and thirty households in Brgy. Canlapwas.
E-wastes have been collected from these two hundred households of Calbayog City, Samar and Catbalogan City, Samar who voluntarily gave their unused appliances and electronic devices without exchange of any amount of money since the practice of selling e-wastes encourage the growth of informal recycling sectors (Chi, Streicher- Porte, Wang, & Reuter, 2010).
3.2. Retrieval and Testing of Electronic Components
Plastic casings, metals, wires, and electronic components such as diodes, resistors, capacitors, and ICs were taken from the collected appliances and electronic devices through dismantling and
disassembling. Electronics components were removed from the printed circuit board of each device by desoldering as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Removal of Electronic Components from the PCB
The retrieved electronic components were tested to find out if it is still good or defective. The recovered electronic
components were tested only with the use of a digital multimeter, and the determination of whether the component is good or
defective was based only on the capacitance, inductance, resistance, open circuits or short circuits between the leads of the
components. Any other characteristics of the component such as approximate gain and linearity, breakdown voltage and other electrical parameters were not included in the test.
3.3 Data Analysis and Presentation
Data collected were processed into tables containing frequency counts, the weight of materials retrieved from e-wastes and frequency distributions. Pictures were used for better appreciation of the materials recovered and the tools used in the process.
4. Results and Discussion
Waste disposal remains to be one of the greatest challenges in the Philippines.
One of the study areas in this paper is Catbalogan City. There were reports about its types of waste and waste disposal practices. One study reported that
Catbalogan City produces around 77.24 tons of wastes are disposed of daily (Moya, 2013), one of its upland barangays employs burning or throwing it in waterways with only about a third saying it's collected by trucks (Irene, 2014). Some of its wastes are even disposed in waterways and the sea itself (Orale, 2011). Interestingly, there were no e-wastes recorded in these reports from the household level. All collected wastes in the city are disposed in an open dumpsite with leachate free to runoff to nearby bays or seep into the ground (Bardelas et al., 2017). If this leachate contains traces of hazardous chemicals from e-wastes, these may be transported via current such as what was described by Orale (2011).
In the forging reports, e-wastes collected are household appliances and other electronic items. Artificial lighting which is more common electrical waste was not included in the study. Most households' use compact fluorescent lamp (CFL),
fluorescent lamps, and light emitting diode (LED) lamps which can hardly be re-used except on selling the metal portion. For example, CFL and LED bulbs are categorized as hazardous because of its
excessive levels of lead (Pb) leachability and the high content of copper and zinc, on the other hand, incandescent lamp is not hazardous (Lim et al., 2013).
4.1 Collected E-waste and Its Valuable Components
Table 1 and Figure 2 show the different e-wastes collected. There are only 16 units of different appliances and
electronic devices collected. Nine units of assorted AC adapter/charger; two units of the rechargeable LED flashlight; and one unit each for AVR/Regulated power supply, VHS player, AM radio, smartphone, and television set. The collected e-waste was estimated to have a total weight of 16.70 kilograms with the television set, weighing approximately 10 kilograms, as the major contributor of the total weight. Only a few e- waste were collected since most of the respondent households opted to keep their unused appliances and electronic devices at home and others chose to sell or give their unused appliances and electronic devices to relatives, MRFs, or mambabakal. This describes the most likely reason why e- wastes from households were not part of the reports of Orale (2011),.Moya(2013) and Irene (2014).
Table 1. Summary of Collected E-wastes Types of Appliances
and Electronic Devices No. of Units
Weight (kg) Assorted AC
Adapter/Charger
9 1.0
Smart Phones 1 0.2
VHS Player 1 3.0
AM Radio 1 0.5
Rechargeable LED Flashlight
2 0.5
AVR/Regulated Power Supply
1 1.5
Television Set 1 10.0
TOTAL 16 16.7
Figure 2. Photo of E-wastes Collected
After dismantling and disassembling the collected e-wastes, different parts and components were recovered. These different recovered components are shown in Table 2 and Figure 3. Only the estimated weight and not the actual weight are shown in the table since the researcher failed to completely dismantle the television set. For the
researcher's safety, the complete dismantling of the Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) of the television set was not done since typical CRT TVs or monitors contain about 4-8 pounds of lead and the inside of the tubes are coated with toxic phosphor dust (Kyle, 2012) which is harmful to the researcher.
As shown in Table 2, 4.50 kilograms or 26.95 percent of the total weight of the e- wastes collected was plastic. These plastic materials came from the case of assorted AC adapters and chargers; a portion of the case of the television set and VHS player; cases of rechargeable LED flashlights; case of the smartphone; and a case of the AM radio.
Besides plastic, 3.20 kilograms or 19.16 percent of glass was retrieved from the television CRT. Metals collected from the e- wastes amounted to 5.50 kilograms or 32.93 percent, which were from the television set, case of AVR or regulated power supply, a portion of the case of VHS player, parts of the VHS player's mechanism, and screws used to fasten the casings. The collected e- wastes also amassed 1 kilogram or 5.99
percent of assorted printed circuit boards (PCBs). The salvaged electronic
components like diodes, ICs, resistors, capacitors, inductors, transistors, and transformers weighed approximately 1.50 kilograms or 8.98 percent of the total weight of e-waste collected. The remaining 5.99 percent, or 1 kilogram, was consisted of wires and connectors.
Table 2. Summary of Collected E-wastes
Types of Appliances and Electronic Devices
Estimated Weight (kg)
Total Weight
%
Plastic 4.50 26.95
Metals and Screws 5.50 32.93
Glass 3.20 19.16
Printed Circuit Board 1.00 5.99 Assorted Electronic
Components
1.50 8.98
Wires 1.00 5.99
TOTAL 16.70 100.00
Figure 3. Segregated Materials of E-wastes
4.2 Results of Electronic Component Testing
Electronic components were taken from the PCBs of the collected appliances and electronic devices. The complete list of the retrieved electronic components is found in Appendix F while the summary of the test results is found in the following
tables.
Table 3 shows a total of 382 pieces of resistors retrieved from the e- wastes collected.
These resistors were carbon film, metal oxide film, ceramic, and variable type of resistors. Out of 382 resistors, 351 or 91.88 percent were found good during the test and only 31 or 8.12 percent were defective. Resistors found defective were those having a resistance that is too high or too low than the expected value and those having a very short lead which can no longer be placed in the PCB when used in making an electronic project. A carbon film resistor contains.
Table 3. Summary of Recovered Resistors Type of Resistors Number of Pieces
Retrieved Good Defective Carbon Film
Resistor
344 315 29
Metal Oxide Film Resistor
28 26 2
Ceramic Resistor 2 2 0
Variable Resistor 8 8 0
TOTAL f 382 351 31
% 100 91.88 8.12
A total of 81 pieces of axial, radial, and ferrite rod were retrieved from the collected e- wastes as shown in Table 4. Of these 81 inductors, only 3 or 3.70 percent were found defective, and the remaining 78 or 96.30 percent were tested good and functional.
Table 4. Summary of Recovered Inductors Type of Inductors Number of Pieces
Retrieved Good Defective
Axial Inductor 73 70 3
Radial Inductor 7 7 0
Ferrite Rod 1 1 0
TOTAL f 81 78 3
% 100 96.30 3.70
Another type of electronic
component retrieved and tested is a diode, which summary is reflected in Table 5.
Four different types of diodes were recovered: signal diode, Zener diode, transient voltage suppression diode, and a light-emitting diode. A total of 108 diodes were recovered and tested. Ninety-two or 85.19 percent were found to be good, and 16 or 14.81 percent were defective.
Table 5. Summary of Recovered Diodes Type of Diodes Number of Pieces
Retrieved Good Defective
Signal Diode 56 48 8
Zener Diode 29 26 3
Transient Voltage Suppression Diode
5 1 4
Light-Emitting Diode
18 17 1
TOTAL f 108 92 16
% 100 85.19 14.81
The summary of recovered capacitors is presented in Table 6. There were 265 pieces of capacitors retrieved.
Nine different types of capacitors were retrieved, namely: electrolytic, ceramic disk, polyester film, metalized polyester, blue ceramic disk, metalized
polypropylene film, gold mylar, box type, and tuning capacitors. There were 143 pieces of electrolytic and 70 pieces of ceramic capacitors retrieved; both are commonly used capacitors in electronics.
All 265 capacitors were tested, and 231 pieces or 87.17 percent were good while 34 or 12.83 percent were defective either because of very short leads, presence of cracks and bulges and/or capacitance is above or below the expected value.
Table 6. Summary of Recovered Capacitors Type of Capacitors Number of Pieces
Retrieved Good Defective Electrolytic
Capacitor
143 116 27
Ceramic Disk Capacitor
70 64 6
Polyester Film Capacitor
11 11 0
Metalized Polyester Capacitor
16 16 0
Blue Ceramic Disc Capacitor
11 11 0
Metalized Polypropylene Film
Capacitor
5 4 1
Gold Mylar Capacitor
7 7 0
Box Type Capacitor
1 1 0
TOTAL f 265 231 34
% 100 87.17 12.83
Only two voltage regulators were recovered by the researcher. These two voltage regulators were KA7808 and AN7805. The retrieved regulators were tested and were found good and
functional. The summary of the results is shown in Table 7.
Table 7. Summary of Recovered Voltage Regulator IC
Type of Voltage Regulator IC
Number of Pieces Retrieved Good Defective
KA7806 1 1 0
AN7805 1 1 0
TOTAL f 2 2 0
% 100 100 0
Table 8 shows the summary of recovered transistors. Ten PNP transistors, 43 NPN transistors, and two fast-
switching NPN transistors were recovered and tested. Out of 55 transistors, 46 or 83.64 percent were found good during the test and only 9 or 16.36 percent were found defective or bad.
Table 8. Summary of Recovered Transistors
Type of Voltage Regulator IC
Number of Pieces Retrieved Good Defective
PNP 10 9 1
NPN 43 35 8
Fast-switching NPN
2 2 0
TOTAL f 55 46 9
% 100 83.64 16.36
5. Conclusion and Recommendation
The following conclusions are drawn from the study:
5.1 Disassembling and dismantling is a simple way to disintegrate e-wastes and categorize it into different types of materials such as plastics, metals and screws, glass, printed circuit boards with assorted electronic components, and different wires and connectors.
5.2 Desoldering is an effective way of retrieving electronic components like resistors, capacitors, diodes, transistors, inductors and ICs from printed circuit boards.
5.3 Approximately 79 percent of e-wastes are made of plastics, metals and glass and only 21 percent are electronic materials like printed circuit boards with electronic components, wires and
connectors, and transformers. This figure
differs from the information that 95% of the total e-waste by weight consist of metal, plastic, and glass (Chatterjee &
Kumar, 2009). This is because the researcher failed to completely dismantle the CRT of the television since it
contains constituents like lead and phosphor dust that are harmful to the human.
5.4 More than 80 percent of the retrieved electronic components are still
functional and in good condition and can still be used in different electronic projects. Recovery of these components will reduce the energy and natural resources as well as greenhouse gas emissions that are caused by
manufacturing virgin materials used in manufacturing these components (U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 2011).
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