Module-5

Restrictions on Use of Hazardous Substances (ROHS): Hazardous substances in e-waste, Global

ROHS compliances (ROHS Directive 84), ROHS compliance requirements in India

E-Waste Recycling: E-waste Recycling Operations, Dismantling & Segregation, Recycling &
Recovery, Recycling Technologies
☣️Restrictions on Use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)
🔶 1. Hazardous Substances in E-Waste: E-waste contains multiple toxic and hazardous materials that pose severe health
and environmental risks if not properly managed.
❌ Key Hazardous Substances in E-Waste
Substance Common Sources Health/Environmental Impact
in EEE
Lead (Pb) CRTs, batteries, Neurotoxin, affects brain and kidney
solder in PCBs functions
Mercury (Hg) Switches, LCD Damages central nervous system, bio
backlights, accumulative
thermometers
Cadmium (Cd) Rechargeable Causes kidney damage, carcinogenic
batteries,
semiconductors
Hexavalent Coatings, Carcinogenic, affects respiratory system
Chromium (Cr⁶⁺) anticorrosion
agents
Polybrominated Flame retardants Endocrine disruptor, persistent in the
Biphenyls (PBB) in plastics environment
Polybrominated Flame retardants Affects thyroid function and fetal
Diphenyl Ethers in casings development
(PBDEs)
🌍 2. Global RoHS Compliances (RoHS Directive 84)
🇪🇺 European Union RoHS Directive (RoHS Directive 2002/95/EC - "Directive 84")
The Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive originated in the EU in 2003 and is often referred to as
RoHS 1 (Directive 84/2002). It was later recast as RoHS 2 and RoHS 3 to strengthen scope and compliance.
🧾 Directive 2011/65/EU (RoHS 2)
Came into effect on July 1, 2011, under the name RoHS Recast Directive, replacing 2002/95/EC.
🔄 Updated List of Restricted Substances (EU RoHS 3 – 2015) 📦 Scope of EU RoHS Compliance
 Household appliances
Maximum
Restricted Substance Concentration  IT and telecom equipment
Limit  Lighting equipment
 Consumer electronics
Lead (Pb) 0.1%
 Monitoring and control devices
Mercury (Hg) 0.1%  Medical devices (since 2014)
Cadmium (Cd) 0.01%  Industrial control equipment (since 2017)
Hexavalent Chromium (Cr⁶⁺) 0.1% ✅ Key Requirements
 CE marking for RoHS-compliant products
PBBs 0.1%
 Technical documentation and conformity
PBDEs 0.1%
assessment
DEHP, BBP, DBP, DIBP (phthalates –  Market surveillance and penalties for non-
0.1% each
added in RoHS 3) compliance
3. RoHS Compliance in India
India adopted RoHS principles under its E-Waste (Management) Rules, integrating them into legally binding
environmental standards.
Substances Restricted under Indian RoHS
📜 Legal Framework Same six hazardous substances as EU RoHS 2:
 Lead (Pb)
Year Regulation Highlights  Mercury (Hg)
E-Waste  Cadmium (Cd)
Introduced basic RoHS  Hexavalent Chromium (Cr⁶⁺)
2011 (Management and
guidelines  Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBB)
Handling) Rules
 Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE)
E-Waste Made RoHS compliance
2016 (Management) mandatory for notified 📏 Permissible Limits in India (as per Schedule II of
Rules, 2016 EEE the Rules):
Amendment Expanded EPR and
2018
Rules collection targets Substance Limit
E-Waste Cadmium 0.01% (100 ppm)
Continued RoHS
(Management)
2022 enforcement and Others 0.1% (1000 ppm)
Rules
centralized EPR portal
(Digitalized)
Who Must Comply? RoHS and E-Waste Rules Linkage
Producers, importers, brand owners of:
 IT and Telecom Equipment  RoHS restricts hazardous substances
 Consumer Electronics at source (during production).
 Electrical Tools  E-waste Rules manage disposal of
 Medical Devices these hazardous substances at end-
of-life.
Compliance Requirements:  Together, they create a cradle-to-
grave management cycle for
Requirement Description electronics.
Self-
declaration of Declaring products meet RoHS limits
conformity
Testing and Via accredited labs or NABL-certified labs in
certification India
Record Maintain RoHS compliance records for 5
keeping years
Products must be labeled as RoHS-compliant
Labeling
(many use green mark)
Third-party MoEFCC/CPCB or SPCBs may conduct
audits verification audits
E-Waste Recycling: E-waste Recycling Operations, Dismantling & Segregation, Recycling & Recovery,
Recycling Technologies

🔁 E-Waste Recycling
E-waste recycling involves the systematic dismantling, segregation, recovery, and environmentally sound
disposal of electronic waste to reduce environmental pollution and recover valuable materials.

🔧 1. E-Waste Recycling Operations

These are a series of mechanical, chemical, and manual processes aimed at recovering usable components and
valuable raw materials from discarded electronics.
🔄 Recycling Workflow Overview:
1. Collection – E-waste is collected via take-back schemes, drop-off centers, or bulk drives.
2. Transportation – Waste is moved securely to authorized recycling facilities.
3. Storage & Inventory – Items are sorted, categorized, and stored temporarily.
4. Dismantling – Manual or semi-automated removal of components.
5. Material Recovery – Extraction of metals, plastics, glass, and hazardous parts.
6. Safe Disposal – Non-recoverable toxic residues are landfilled/incinerated as per guidelines.
🧰 2. Dismantling & Segregation
Dismantling is the first physical operation in the recycling process. It involves disassembling devices into
individual parts manually or mechanically.
🧩 Purpose:
 Isolate hazardous components (e.g., batteries, CRTs, mercury switches)
 Recover high-value components (PCBs, ICs, hard drives, copper wires)
 Prepare for material-specific processing
Steps Involved:

Operation Components Extracted

Manual dismantling Screens, PCBs, cables, fans, power supplies
Removal of hazardous
Batteries, fluorescent tubes, capacitors
parts
Material segregation Metal casings, plastic housings, cables
Identification & sorting Classify as reusable, recyclable, hazardous, or e-scrap
3. Recycling & Recovery
Once materials are segregated, they undergo specialized processing to recover metals, polymers, glass, and other
constituents.
Recovery Categories:

Material Recovered From Recycling Process

Copper, Gold, Silver PCBs, connectors, CPUs Chemical leaching, electro-refining
Aluminum Casings, heat sinks Shredding, melting, casting
Plastics Monitor bodies, keyboards Sorting by type → granulation
Glass CRTs, LCD panels Separated for reuse or crushed as filler
Lead CRT glass, solder High-temperature furnaces
Rare Earth Metals Magnets, fluorescent lamps Solvent extraction, pyrometallurgy
4. Recycling Technologies
Recycling technologies can be manual, mechanical, chemical, or thermo-processing based depending on the
material type and recovery goal.

🔧 A. Mechanical Processes
Technology Purpose
Shredding Reduces items to smaller particles
Magnetic
Isolates ferrous metals
Separation
Eddy Current
Extracts non-ferrous metals like aluminum
Separator
Density Separation Uses water or air to sort by weight
Optical Sorting Identifies plastic types via spectroscopy
🔬 B. Chemical & Thermal Processes

Process Used For Description

Metal recovery (e.g., gold, High-temp smelting to separate metals
Pyrometallurgy
copper) from matrix
Uses acids/solvents to dissolve and
Hydrometallurgy Gold, palladium, rare metals
extract metals
Bacteria used to extract metals from
Bioleaching Metal recovery
crushed e-waste
CRT Glass Treatment CRT monitors Removes lead and recycles glass
Plastics Reprocessing Monitor casings, cables Melting and molding into pellets
🧪 Emerging Green Technologies:
 Plasma arc recycling
 Supercritical fluid extraction
 Microwave-induced pyrolysis
 Dry mechanical recovery (low pollution)

🔄 Recovery Efficiency and Environmental Impact

Material Recovery Rate Recyclability Remarks

Copper ~95% High Easily extractable, high market value
Gold ~90% High Requires chemical processing
Plastics ~50–60% Medium Often contaminated or mixed types
CRT Glass ~80% Medium Lead content complicates reuse
Aluminum ~85–90% High Cost-effective reuse
End of Module-5