So little of your e-waste is really recycled
1.7 million tons of e-waste – that's how much we produce per year in Germany alone. A huge number, but one that does not yet fully reflect the problem, because e-waste is not just waste. Components in smartphones and other electrical appliances are not only valuable, but often also toxic. Although e-waste accounts for only two percent of waste streams, it accounts for 70 percent of hazardous waste components that end up in landfills. However, precise separation of the individual components in order to recycle usable elements is time-consuming and not always worthwhile.
150 times as heavy as Cologne Cathedral
The international figures are all the more dramatic. Worldwide, about 45 million tons of electronic waste are generated every year (as of 2016). That is just under six kilograms per capita, when looking at all people on earth. Placed in a pile, this mountain of garbage would weigh 150 times as much as Cologne Cathedral. Half of this is concentrated in Europe and the USA.
According to estimates, this number will rise sharply in the future. This is because, for example, many electrical appliances are not designed for long use. For example, smartphone batteries can usually no longer be replaced, and the customer should instead regularly buy a new device. According to forecasts by the United Nations University and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), this development could lead to the production and use of laptops, smartphones and the like accounting for one seventh of global pollutant emissions in 20 years. Another ten years later, 120 million tons of e-waste are expected to be generated.
E-cars could lead to more scrap
An immense share of the increase in electronic waste could be due to the increasing global demand for e-cars. According to estimates by the International Energy Agency (IEA), up to 125 million electric vehicles could be on the road by 2030, 40 times more than today. Currently, the global recycling rate for this market is only 42%.
After all, the EU and the People's Republic of China have introduced laws that make car manufacturers responsible for recycling batteries.
Artikel Abschnitt: Was ist eigentlich Elektroschrott?
What is e-waste?
Once the partnership has been determined, there are six categories of e-waste:
- Refrigerators and freezers (e.g. refrigerators, air conditioners, etc.)
- Screens (e.g. TVs, laptops, tablets, etc.)
- Luminaires/lamps (e.g. light bulbs, LED lamps, etc.)
- Large equipment (e.g. washing machines, dryers, etc.)
- Small appliances (e.g. microwaves, toasters, etc.)
- Small IT and communication devices (e.g. smartphones, GPS devices, calculators, routers, etc.)
Artikel Abschnitt: Was macht Elektro-Schrott so besonders?
What makes e-waste so special?
Recycling is often not economically worthwhile
Nevertheless, vast amounts of expensive raw materials are simply thrown away every year in the form of electronic waste. Despite these figures, processing is currently still so costly that recycling is often not economically viable. Modern devices in particular contain increasingly complex components. Often it is not possible to separate them individually, you have to concentrate on certain elements. However, even experts often do not know what elements are in detail in the individual components.
In addition, many people apparently build up such a bond with their devices that they do not go into recycling after use, but remain in the household.
Artikel Abschnitt: Wie effektiv wird Elektroschrott recycelt?
How effectively is e-waste recycled?
Extraction very complex
Often, the time-consuming mining of precious metals from the "electric mines" is simply not wanted. At present, the extraction of valuable raw materials is still very energy-intensive and labor-intensive. According to Jason Love, the effort is so high that it is not economically worthwhile to recycle electronic waste. Love is head of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh. Nevertheless, Love emphasizes to Quarks how important better recycling would be for the entire EU. This is not only due to the fact that the company's own precious metal projects are very limited in Europe. To make matters worse, the relevant components, or their new extraction from natural sources, would make a major contribution to global warming.
Recycling could become more effective
Soon, however, the recycling process could at least be made much more effective, says Dr. Peter Hense, group leader for recycling technologies at Fraunhofer Umsicht. According to the expert, almost a quarter of the scrap in our region of the world is currently not recycled as shredder residue or dust from exhaust air filtration.
In Central Europe, this residue would be incinerated, and in some cases even landfilled abroad. Recycling of the finest components is thus virtually impossible. He cites gold as a striking example. Only about 30% of the coveted metal is recycled.
New procedure to help
With his research group, Hense has developed a technology that promises to improve this in the future. The iCycle system is intended to make it possible to filter metal more efficiently from e-waste. This is a process in which materials are thermally broken down in an oxygen-free atmosphere. According to Fraunhofer Umsicht, this allows metals and fibers to be gently separated and individual pollutants, such as halogens, to be separated.
The necessary equipment can therefore even be operated energetically by gaseous and liquid substances, which are filtered out of the scrap during the company's own recycling process. In addition, it should also be able to recycle metals that could not be recycled so far, such as tandal or indium. In other regions, however, iCycle should be able to face even greater problems, for example in Agbogbloshie.
Less manual work
The garbage dump in the Ghanaian capital Accra has already been described by some media as the dirtiest place in the world. Under great risks to the environment and health, electronic waste is processed here by hand without protection. The new technology could also be used here to recover particularly fine components of the scrap. Toxic fumes are not produced during the processing process.
Artikel Abschnitt: Und jetzt?
And now?
Increasingly scarce resources on earth are also an argument for processing the valuable components of our waste more effectively. However, as long as monetary interests speak in favour of maintaining the low recycling rates, experts such as Jason Love believe that political intervention is necessary, at local, regional and EU level. As with any recycling, it is therefore necessary to persuade.
Mobile phones as Olympic medals
A prestige project and an advertisement for a possible e-waste cycle of the future – but there is still an immense effort behind the processes.
Author: Martin Pieck