An insight into electronic recycling
There is growing concern for the increasing amounts of electronic waste in landfills. High tech junk that includes computers, monitors, cell phones, batteries and televisions contain hazardous lead that can compromise the safety of the landfill environment. The most obvious solution to the menace of high tech junk is electronic recycling that ensures electronics are dismantled and recycled correctly to be transformed into usable items. The recycling process starts on the disassembly line where workers remove recyclable parts like plastic and wooden cases, metal chassis, yokes and PC board. Cathode ray tubes (CRT) that are found in computer monitors and television sets are loaded into conveyors that will take them to the crusher. The crusher is usually a self-contained unit with weather protection, dust containment and filtration.
Once the CRT’s enter the container, they drop into the hammer mill for crushing into smaller pieces. Sifting through the broken pieces for metal is done with the use of a magnet. A screen at one end of the hammer mill sifts through broken glass to produce the desired sizes. Crushed glass that is contaminated with lead is separated from the system to be used in the processing of raw lead ore that is used by manufacturers for the production of new cathode ray tubes, x-ray shielding, bullets and batteries. Lead content in electronic waste is the most hazardous that is why it has to be send to electronic recycling for proper processing. Mercury is another toxic component of electronic waste and recycling reduces the opportunity for this element to leach into the ground of landfills. When captured mercury is sent to recycling plants to be used for products that will benefit humans.
Almost all of the components of electronic waste are recyclable from the circuit boards that are ground and smelted to the plastics that are sent to plastic recyclers to manufacture items like fence posts and vineyard stakes. Steel from electronic recycling is sold to metal recyclers to be transformed into usable metal products. Other components are separated to be sold to other recyclers so that they can be used for the manufacture of other commodities. Batteries are one of the common forms of electronic waste but its contents that include cobalt, cadmium, nickel and steel can be used for battery production and fabrication of stainless steel.
To obtain the highest possible results, it is important to send electronic waste to electronic recycling so that they can be properly disassembled and processed under safe conditions.