Module 5
Restriction on use of hazardous
substances
Restriction on use of Hazardous Substances
E-waste contains numerous harmful substances, including heavy metals like lead, mercury,
and cadmium; brominated flame retardants (BFRs); and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs )
Harmful substances in e waste:
Heavy Metals:
1. Lead: Found in CRT screens, batteries, and solder. It can cause severe neurological
damage.
2. Mercury: Present in fluorescent lamps, some batteries, and mercury switches. It is highly
toxic and can damage the brain and liver.
3. Cadmium: Found in batteries and can lead to kidney damage and bone fragility.
4. Hexavalent Chromium: A toxic metal found in circuit boards.
5. Barium: Can cause brain swelling, muscle weakness, and damage to the heart, liver, and
spleen.
Harmful Substances in E-Waste:
Flame Retardants:
1. Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs): Used in plastics and textiles, BFRs are toxic and
can lead to hormonal disorders when burned.
Other Chemicals:
1. Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs): Found in older electronic equipment and can be
highly toxic.
2. Dioxins: Produced from burning certain materials in e-waste and are extremely toxic,
affecting reproduction and the immune system.
3. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): Found in cooling units and can damage the ozone layer
when released.
4. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC): When burned, PVC releases hazardous hydrogen chloride gas,
which can cause respiratory and other health issues
Global ROHS Compliance
Global RoHS compliance for e-waste means that electronic equipment sold in different
markets worldwide must restrict hazardous substances to protect the environment and
human health, even though the original directive is from the European Union.
Many countries have adopted or adapted the European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous
Substances (RoHS) Directive, establishing a global regulatory framework that promotes the
safe disposal and recycling of electronic products by restricting the use of hazardous
materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium
This practice encourages the use of safer materials during production and contributes to a
circular economy.
How it works globally
EU Origin:
The RoHS directive originated in the European Union and became a global model for
other countries to follow.
Harmonized Regulations:
Other countries have implemented their own versions of RoHS, often with local
variations, to regulate the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic
equipment (EEE).
Market Access:
Compliance is often a requirement for selling products in various markets. In the EU,
RoHS compliance is required for the CE marking.
Waste Management:
By restricting hazardous substances in new electronics, RoHS makes the resulting
e-waste safer to recycle and dispose of, reducing environmental damage from landfills
and incineration.
Key Substances Restricted by RoHS
Lead (Pb)
Mercury (Hg)
Cadmium (Cd)
Hexavalent Chromium (Cr⁶⁺)
Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBB)
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE)
Four phthalates: DEHP, BBP, DBP, and DIBP
– Bis(2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP): max 0.1%;
– Benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP): max 0.1%;
– Dibutyl phthalate (DBP): max 0.1%;
– Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP): max 0.1%.
ROHS Compliance Requirements in India
RoHS compliance in India requires manufacturers and importers to ensure their electrical
and electronic equipment does not exceed concentration limits for specific hazardous
substances:
lead ,mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium by weight in homogeneous materials.
Compliance involves product testing, creating a technical file with supplier declarations and
test reports, and obtaining a Declaration of Conformity (DoC).
Key Requirements
Hazardous substance limits:
– Products must not exceed the maximum concentration values for specific substance.
Applicable products:
– The rules apply to a wide range of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), including household appliances,
IT and communication equipment, consumer electronics, lighting, electrical tools, toys, medical devices, and
monitoring and control instruments.
Testing:
– Products must be tested by accredited laboratories to confirm they meet the substance limits.
Key Requirements (Contd..)
Documentation:
– A comprehensive set of documents is required, including:
• Supplier Material Declarations
• Test Reports from accredited laboratories
• Bill of Materials (BOM)
• Risk Assessments
• A formal Declaration of Conformity (DoC)
• A technical file containing all relevant information
Compliance maintenance:
– Ongoing procedures for internal audits, training, and supplier management are necessary to maintain
compliance over time, as standards can evolve.
How to achieve compliance
1. Finalize product and gather information: Determine which product(s) need to be certified
and collect detailed information about their components and materials.
2. Conduct testing: Send product samples to an accredited laboratory for RoHS testing to
verify compliance with the restricted substance limits.
3. Prepare documentation: Assemble all required documents, including the BOM, supplier
declarations, risk assessments, and test reports.
4. Obtain the Declaration of Conformity (DoC): This is a formal statement from the
manufacturer that the product meets RoHS requirements.
5. Engage a certification body: A certification body or testing laboratory can guide you
through the process and provide the official certification upon successful evaluation
E waste Recycling
E-waste recycling operations involve collection, sorting, and disassembly of discarded
electronics to recover valuable and hazardous materials.
The process includes data destruction, shredding, and advanced mechanical separation
techniques like magnetic and water separation to isolate metals, plastics, and glass.
Finally, these materials are refined and prepared for reuse in new products
Step-by-step breakdown of e-waste recycling
operations
1. Collection: E-waste is gathered from households and businesses through collection points,
special bins, or take- back programs and transported to recycling facilities.
2. Inspection and Sorting: Items are initially sorted by type to identify devices that can be
refurbished versus those that need to be dismantled.
3. Data Destruction: Before any dismantling, hard drives and other storage media are sanitized
or physically destroyed to prevent data theft.
4. Dismantling: Devices are disassembled, either manually by skilled workers or with automated
equipment, to separate components like batteries, circuit boards, and wires.
5. Shredding: Components are shredded into smaller pieces to make material separation easier
and more efficient.
6. Mechanical Separation: Advanced machinery is used to separate the shredded
material. This includes:
– Magnetic separation: To remove ferrous metals like steel.
– Air classification: To separate lighter materials from heavier ones.
– Water separation: To separate glass from plastics.
Step-by-step breakdown of e-waste recycling
operations (Contd..)
7. Material Recovery and Processing: The separated materials are refined to be sold as raw
materials for new manufacturing. This includes melting metals, crushing and reforming
glass, and reprocessing plastics.
8. Hazardous Material Management: Hazardous materials like lead and mercury are safely
removed and disposed of in a way that prevents environmental contamination.
Dismantling and segregation
Dismantling and segregation of e-waste involves manually breaking down electronic
devices and then using mechanical processes to separate components and materials
like metals, plastics, and glass.
The process starts with sorting and manually disassembling devices to remove
hazardous components (like batteries and mercury) and valuable items, followed by
mechanical shredding and separation techniques to further refine the materials for
recycling. Proper dismantling and segregation are crucial for safety, environmental
protection, and recovering valuable resources
Dismantling
Receiving and sorting: E-waste is sorted by type, size, and condition.
Manual disassembly: Technicians manually open devices and remove outer casings and
easily accessible parts like batteries and storage drives.
Hazardous component removal: Crucial step where hazardous components like batteries,
CRT screens, mercury-containing lamps, and capacitors are carefully removed to prevent
contamination.
Manual separation: Components are physically separated and categorized into different
streams (e.g., printed circuit boards, plastics, metals).
Segregation and processing
Mechanical processing: After manual disassembly, mechanical processes are used to further
sort and recover materials.
Shredding: Devices are shredded to break them into smaller, uniform particles.
Magnetic separation: Magnets are used to extract ferrous metals (like steel).
Eddy current separation: This process separates non-ferrous metals (like aluminum and
copper).
Air separation: Lighter materials are separated from heavier ones using air currents.
Refining: The separated materials are sent to specialized facilities for refining and purification
to be sold as raw materials.
Hazardous waste management: The remaining hazardous residue is safely disposed of in
specialized landfills.
Recycling and recovery of e waste
E-waste recycling and recovery involves a multi-step process that includes collection,
sorting, and dismantling of electronic devices to recover valuable materials like metals and
plastics for reuse.
After collection, items are inspected to see if they can be refurbished or must be dismantled.
They are then sorted and manually disassembled into components like circuit boards and
batteries.
Finally, these components are shredded and processed through separation techniques such
as magnetic, eddy current, and air classification to extract and refine materials for new
manufacturing.
1. Collection and logistics
E-waste is collected from consumers and businesses through designated drop-off points,
collection bins, or pick-up services.
2. Inspection and sorting
Items are inspected to determine if they are suitable for refurbishment or need to be
dismantled for recycling.
Data on storage media is destroyed or sanitized to prevent data theft.
Hazardous components like batteries are separated for special processing.
3. Dismantling
Skilled workers manually take apart devices to separate components like batteries, circuit
boards, plastics, and wires.
4. Shredding and separation
The separated components are shredded into smaller pieces.
Various mechanical separation techniques are used, including:
Magnetic separation: Pulls out ferrous metals like iron and steel.
Eddy current separation: Isolates non-ferrous metals like copper and aluminum.
Air and water separation: Separates materials based on density, like plastics from glass.
5. Material recovery and reuse
The separated materials are processed further to remove impurities.
Recovered materials such as metals, plastics, and glass are sent to be processed for use in
new products. For example, metals can be smelted, and plastics can be melted and molded.
The final step of material recovery aims to produce high-purity materials that can be sent
back into manufacturing, contributing to a circular economy.
Recycling technologies for e waste
E-waste recycling technologies include automated sorting systems using AI to separate
components, advanced material recovery techniques like shredding and chemical leaching
for metals, and thermal processes such as pyrolysis to handle non-recyclable waste.
More eco-friendly methods like hydrometallurgical processes and Deep Eutectic Solvents
(DES) are also used to extract valuable metals while reducing hazardous chemicals.
Automated and mechanical separation
AI-powered sorting:
Robotic arms, sensors, and AI are used to quickly and accurately sort e-waste into categories
like plastics, metals, and circuit boards.
Shredding and separation:
Devices are shredded into smaller pieces, and then magnetic and air separation technologies
are used to separate materials like ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
Screening technology:
Specialized screening equipment sorts materials into clean fractions to improve the efficiency of
subsequent sorting processes. Chemical and thermal processing
Hydrometallurgical processes:
This involves using acid leaching to dissolve metals from e-waste residue. The metals can then
be recovered through processes like precipitation or electroplating.
Pyrolysis and thermal processing:
These techniques heat e-waste in the absence of oxygen to break down organic materials,
recovering valuable products like syngas and biochar from plastics and other non-recyclable
components.
Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES):
A newer, non-toxic approach that uses environmentally friendly solvents to dissolve metals from
e-waste. This method is highly selective, energy-efficient, and recyclable.
Other techniques
Bioleaching:
An emerging method that uses bacteria and other microorganisms to separate valuable raw
materials from e-waste.
Eco-friendly dismantling:
Manual and automated techniques are used to disassemble devices in a way that minimizes the
release of toxic emissions and prevents harmful chemicals from polluting the environment.