E waste and its Management

E-Waste and its Management
Mrs.K.Krishnaveni
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry
Kongu Engineering College
Perundurai

E-Waste and its Management
E - Waste – definition - sources of e-waste –
hazardous substances in e-waste - effects of e - waste
on environment and human health - need for e-waste
management– waste minimization techniques for
managing e-waste
25-Sep-21

Waste
 Waste is an outcome of product or a substance that
is no longer suited for its intended use.
 Hazardous and non hazardous waste.
 Non-hazardous waste is any waste that does not
cause harm to people or the environment, and
regulations for disposal of non-hazardous waste are
less strict.
 Hazardous Waste - Threat to human health and the
environment if it is not handled properly.
 Industrial, biomedical waste, Electronic & electrical
equipment are the examples
 Highly required to be disposed off as per national
laws.
25-Sep-21

E - Waste
 Any form of electrical and electronic material or
body discarded after its usage or expiry.
 E-Waste comprises of a broad and growing range of
electronic devices, ranging from large household
devices such as refrigerators, air conditioners, cell
phones, personal stereos, and consumer electronics
to computers, printers which have been discarded by
their users.
 With the presence of deadly chemicals and toxic
substances in the electronic gadgets, disposal of E-
Waste is becoming an environmental and health
nightmare.
 Globally only 15 – 20 percent of E-Waste is
recycled while the rest is dumped into developing
countries such as India, China and Nigeria.
25-Sep-21

Sources of E-waste
Sources
Large
Household
Appliances
Small
Household
Appliances
Products used
for data
processing
Toys, leisure
and sports
equipment
Medical
devices
used for
treatment
Automatic
dispensers
Electronic
devices used
for
entertainment
Devices used for
communication

Categories of E-waste
 Large equipment such as
washing machines, clothes
dryers, dish washing machines,
electric stoves, large printing
machines, copying equipment and
photovoltaic panels.
 Small equipment comprises of
vacuum cleaners, microwaves,
ventilation equipment, toasters,
electric kettles and electric
shavers.
 Small IT and telecommunication
equipment. For example, mobile
phones, GPS, pocket calculators
and routers etc.
25-Sep-21

Constituents of E-Waste
 36%  Ferrous metals ie) Iron and Steel
 19%  Non-ferrous metals, like Cu, Al and
precious metals like Ag, Au, Pt, Pd etc.,
 23%  Plastic
 15%  Glass
 7%  Others (rubber, wood, ceramic etc)
 Also contain toxic elements like americium-
241, Pb, Hg, Ar, Cd, Se and Cr etc.,
25-Sep-21

Constituents of E-Waste
Constituents of E-
Waste in near 2010’s
Constituents of E-
Waste in near 2020’s

Effects of E-waste on the environment
and human health
S.
No
.
E-Waste
component
Occurrence in electric
appliances
Adverse health and environmental
effects
1 Americium
241
Smoke detectors and some
medical equipment
Carcinogenic leads to cancer and radiactive in nature
2 Pb Lead-acid and Li batteries CRT
monitor glass, solar, transistors,
lasers, LEDs and circuit boards
• Impaired cognitive function,
behavioral disturbances, attention, hyperactivity and
lower IQ.
•Neurotoxin that affects the kidneys and the
reproductive system.
• It leads to water and soil pollution.
3. Hg Found in fluorescent tubes,
tilt switches, CCFLs backlights,
Components in copper
machines, batteries in clocks
and
pocket calculators, LCDs
It causes dermatitis, sensory impairment and muscle
weakness.
•Affects the central nervous system (memory loss),
kidneys and immune system. It impairs foetus growth
and harms infants through mother’s milk.
• Environmental effects in animals include death,
reduced fertility, and slower growth and development

S.
No.
E-
Waste
compo
nent
appliances
effects
4 Cd NICAD batteries, light sensitive
resistors, pigments, solder, alloys,
circuit boards,
computer batteries, monitor
cathode ray tubes
(CRTs)
carcinogen, Long-term exposure causes Itai-itai
disease, which causes severe pain in the joints and
spine.
•It affects the kidneys and softens bones
•Severe damage to the lungs and kidney.
• Deficits in cognition, learning behaviour skills in
children.
• Pollute water and soil.
5 Cr(VI) common element in
electronics due to its ability to
prevent corrosion and the
increased conductivity of
electrical impulse,
Dyes/pigments, switches, solar.
• Carcinogenic leads to cancer
can damage liver and
kidneys and cause bronchial maladies including
asthmatic bronchitis
Inhaling hexavalent chromium - lung cancer.
6 S Found in lead-acid batteries • It causes health effects that include liver damage,
kidney damage, heart damage, eye and throat irritation.
• Acidic nature is created in the environment due to the
formation of sulphuric acid through sulphur dioxide.

S.
No.
E-Waste
component
appliances
effects
7 Brominated
Flame
Retardants
Flame retardants in
plastics in most electronics (Casing,
circuit boards
(plastic), cables, PVC cables)
(releases toxic emissions
including Dioxins)
Impaired development of the nervous
system, thyroid problems, severe hormonal
disorders, liver problems are some health effects
due to prolonged exposure.
8 Perfluoroocta
noic acid
• Used as an antistatic additive in
industrial applications.
• Found in electronics and in non-
stick cookware (PTFE)
appliances.
• Environmental degradation results
in the formation of PFOA.
• Immune toxicity, hormonal effects and
carcinogenic effects have been found
out from studies in mice.
• It leads to increased maternal PFOA
levels which are associated with an
increased risk of spontaneous abortion
(miscarriage) and stillbirth.
9 Beryllium
oxide
• Filler used in materials such
as thermal grease used on
heat sinks for CPUs and
power transistors, X-ray transparent
ceramic windows,
heat transfer fins in vacuum
tubes and gas lasers.
Occupational exposures lead to lung
Cancer, Chronic Beryllium Disease (beryllicosis),
a disease which primarily affects the lungs.
Exposure to beryllium also causes a form of skin
disease that is characterized by poor wound
healing and wart-like bumps

S.
No.
E-Waste
component
appliances
effects
10 Arsenic Semiconductors, diodes,
microwaves, LEDs (Lightemitting
diodes), solar cells
Chronic exposure to arsenic can lead to
various diseases of the skin and decrease
nerve conduction velocity. Chronic exposure to
arsenic can also cause lung cancer and can
often be fatal
11 Barium Electron tubes, filler for
plastic and rubber, lubricant
additives
Short-term exposure to barium could lead to
brain swelling, muscle weakness, damage to
the heart, liver and spleen.
Animal studies reveal increased blood
pressure and changes in the heart from
ingesting barium over a long period of time
12 Copper Conducted in cables, copper
ribbons, coils,
circuitry, pigments
Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Liver Damage,
Kidney Damage, Death
25-Sep-21

Need for E-waste Disposal
 E Waste has been identified as the fastest growing waste stream
in the world : forecast to soon reach 40 million tons a year.
 The volume of e-waste is rising about three times faster than any
other forms of municipal waste.
 Contains over 1000 different substances including toxic heavy
metals and organics which can pose serious environmental pollution
problem upon irresponsible disposal.
 Includes deadly chemical and metal such as lead, cadmium,
brominated flame retardants, phthalates etc.
 Long term exposure to these substances damages the nervous
system, kidney, bones, reproductive and endocrine systems.
(Carcinogenic and neurotoxic)

 Pollutes water, air and soil quality.
 Can be overland mine for specific metals.
 Many valuable substances are also found in e-waste along with
hazardous substances can be used as a source material in different
industries.
 This helps in the conservation of earth’s resources
 By recycling e-waste, we can identify the non-hazardous materials
that can be reused in many applications
25-Sep-21

Recycling Scenario
and informal recycling concerns

Management of E-waste
 Approximately 75% of used electrical and electronic items are simply stored as
scrap in houses, offices etc., due to the technological advancement and the short
lifespan of products.
 Hence it is necessary to implement proper e-waste management techniques.
In industries management of e-waste should begin at the point of generation. This
can be done by E-Waste Management
1. waste minimization technique
(generation of waste is reduced at all
stages of Product manufacturing)
 Inventory management
 Production-process modification
 Volume reduction
 Recovery and reuse
2. sustainable product design
(waste generation is minimized while
planning and designing a product)
 Design product with lesser hazards
 Use of renewable materials and energy
 Conservation of non-renewable materials
with reusability

I. Inventory management – Ensures the needed quantity of materials are
used
 Management of raw material consumption during manufacturing process
 Reduce the use of hazardous material and excessive use of raw material
1. Establishing material purchase review and control procedures
 Review all the material needed for making product
 Prior to purchase all the raw materials are scrutinized to find the presence of
any hazardous substance
2. Inventory tracking system
 Strict monitoring has to be done to ensure that only the needed quantity of a
material is consumed.
II. Production-process Modification
 Modify the manufacturing process to reduce waste generation
1. Raw material change - replace hazardous material with less or non-hazardous
material
1. Waste minimization technique

2. Process-equipment Modification - installing new or updated instruments for the
efficient use of raw materials to reduce waste generation
3. Improved Operating and Maintenance Procedures
 Follow the standard procedures for making products
 Periodical maintenance of equipments
 Organizing a training program to employees to explain the correct operating
and handling procedures, proper equipment use, maintenance schedules and
proper management of waste materials
III. Volume reduction – removing hazardous material from the non-
hazardous portion of e-waste
 Reduce the quantity or volume and cost of disposing the waste material
Different types of valuable metals can be separated and recovered from e-waste
widely used methods for concentration of e-waste include gravity and vacuum
filtration, ultra filtration, reverse osmosis, freeze vaporization, etc

IV. Recovery and Reuse
 valuable materials are recovered from waste and reused for making secondary
products this method reduces the raw material cost
 recovery process may be done either from an onsite or offsite recovery facility
through inter-industry exchange
 methods include reverse osmosis, electrolysis, condensation, electrolytic recovery,
filtration, centrifugation
2. Sustainable Product Design
Efforts should be made to design a product with less amount of hazardous material
maximum use of renewable materials and energy
manufacturers should ensure that the products made with non-renewable materials are
built for reuse, repair and recyclability.

Electronic waste contains a various type of metals and materials which can be
recycled. Taking TV (CRT) for example, it contains copper, iron, glass and plastic in
its body, and over 75% of the body can be recovered to be used as raw materials.

Tokyo Medal Project
 Initiative started in 2017 and 100% metals (Gold, Silver & Bronze) was
collected from people of Japan.
 In 2016 Rio Olympics Brazil manufactured 30% of bronze and silver
medal
Since 2014, Dell has used 100 million pounds of recovered materials in its products.
In 2016, Apple introduced its first iPhone-disassembly robot ‘Daisy’ that can breakdown 200 iPhones an hour.
Samsung collects and recycles about 100 million pounds of e-waste every year in the US alone.

E waste and its Management

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