Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Sustainable Waste Management of Engineering Plastics Generated from E-Waste: A Critical Evaluation of Mechanical, Thermal and Morphological Properties

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Polymers and the Environment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The major roadblock for recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipments (WEEE) depends on the viability of sorting process, which is a complex task, involving various techniques such as sink float, froth flotation, optical separation and manual separation, etc. This makes the sorting process highly time consuming and expensive. The primary aim of this investigation is to study the properties of polymeric blends formulated from computer keyboards, by avoiding high end sorting procedure to avoid manpower and instrumental cost. The major polymers recovered from waste keyboards were identified as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), high impact polystyrene (HIPS) and polystyrene (PS), using fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. These polymers were subjected to mechanical recycling by employing melt blending technique, followed by injection moulding. A ternary blend was prepared utilizing various percentages of ABS, HIPS and PS. The mechanical test of the blends revealed an optimum tensile strength of 35 ± 3 MPa, flexural strength of 65 ± 3 MPa, and impact strength of 45 ± 3 J/m. The homogeneity of the blends was determined through thermal analysis and morphological analysis of impact fractured specimens. The thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) showed a narrow peak with degradation of 98% of the blends at 700 °C. It was observed that, the properties of blends were similar to each other, which allows to eliminate multiple sorting process reducing cost aspect with improve performance characteristics.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

Availability of Data and Material

The entire machine generated data for tests such as TGA, DSC, DMA FTIR and tensile analysis are available for future references. The raw/processed data required to reproduce these findings cannot be shared at this time as the data also forms part of an ongoing study. But, this data will be available to the readers once the study is completed successfully.

References

  1. Ryberg MW, Laurent A, Hauschild M, Tonda E, Averous S, Yan C, Milà Canals L, Wang F, Savelli H, Hasegawa K (2018) Mapping of global plastics value chain, vol 96. https://gefmarineplastics.org/files/2018Mappingofglobalplasticsvaluechainandhotspots-finalversionr181023.pdf

  2. Dias P, Machado A, Huda N, Bernardes AM (2017) Domestic. J Clean Prod. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.219

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Baldé CP, Wang F, Kuehr R, Huisman J (2017) The global E-waste monitor 2017: quantities, flows, and resources. ISBN 978-92-808-4556-3

  4. Parajuly K, Habib K, Liu G (2016) Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in Denmark: flows, quantities and management. Resour Conserv Recycl. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.08.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Qiao SUN, Chang WANG (2018) Digital empowerment in a WEEE collection business ecosystem: A. J Clean Prod. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.114

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Bigum M, Damgaard A, Scheutz C, Christensen TH (2017) Resources, conservation and recycling environmental impacts and resource losses of incinerating misplaced household special wastes (WEEE, batteries, ink cartridges and cables). Resour Conserv Recycl 122:251–260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.02.013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Widmer R, Oswald-Krapf H, Sinha-Khetriwal D, Schnellmann M, Heinz B (2005) Global perspectives on e-waste. Environ Impact Assess Rev 25:436–458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2005.04.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Streicher-Porte M, Widmer R, Jain A, Bader HP, Scheidegger R, Kytzia S (2005) Key drivers of the e-waste recycling system: assessing and modelling e-waste processing in the informal sector in Delhi. Environ Impact Assess Rev 25:472–491. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2005.04.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Nkwachukwu O, Chima C, Ikenna A, Albert L (2013) Focus on potential environmental issues on plastic world towards a sustainable plastic recycling in developing countries. Int J Ind Chem 4:34. https://doi.org/10.1186/2228-5547-4-34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Rahimifard S, Coates G, Staikos T, Edwards C, Abu-Bakar M (2009) Barriers, drivers and challenges for sustainable product recovery and recycling. Int J Sustain Eng 2:80–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/19397030903019766

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Kang HY, Schoenung JM (2005) Electronic waste recycling: a review of U.S. infrastructure and technology options. Resour Conserv Recycl 45:368–400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2005.06.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Arostegui A, Sarrionandia M, Aurrekoetxea J, Urrutibeascoa I (2006) Effect of dissolution-based recycling on the degradation and the mechanical properties of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer. Polym Degrad Stab 91:2768–2774. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2006.03.019

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Schlummer M, Mäurer A, Leitner T, Spruzina W (2006) Report: recycling of flame-retarded plastics from waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE). Waste Manag Res 24:573–583. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X06068520

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Hopewell J, Dvorak R, Kosior E (2009) Plastics recycling: challenges and opportunities. Philos Trans R Soc B Biol Sci 364:2115–2126. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0311

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Dodbiba G, Fujita T (2004) Progress in separating plastic materials for recycling. Phys Sep Sci Eng 13:165–182. https://doi.org/10.1080/14786470412331326350

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Tanskanen P (2013) Management and recycling of electronic waste. Acta Mater 61:1001–1011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2012.11.005

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Dodbiba G, Takahashi K, Sadaki J, Fujita T (2008) The recycling of plastic wastes from discarded TV sets: comparing energy recovery with mechanical recycling in the context of life cycle assessment. J Clean Prod 16:458–470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2006.08.029

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Riise B, Gysbers J, Farling S, Dickenson J (2018) How to progress on E-plastics. Plastics recycling update. Published by Resource Recycling Inc., Summer 2018:16–22

  19. Wäger PA, Hischier R (2015) Life cycle assessment of post-consumer plastics production from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) treatment residues in a Central European plastics recycling plant. Sci Total Environ 529:158–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.05.043

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Sahajwalla V, Gaikwad V (2018) The present and future of e-waste plastics recycling. Curr Opin Green Sustain Chem 13:102–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsc.2018.06.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Zeng X, Yang C, Chiang JF, Li J (2017) Science of the total environment innovating e-waste management: from macroscopic to microscopic scales. Sci Total Environ 575:1–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.09.078

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Taurino R, Pozzi P, Zanasi T (2010) Facile characterization of polymer fractions from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) for mechanical recycling. Waste Manag 30:2601–2607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2010.07.014

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Beigbeder J, Perrin D, Mascaro JF, Lopez-Cuesta JM (2013) Study of the physico-chemical properties of recycled polymers from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) sorted by high resolution near infrared devices. Resour Conserv Recycl 78:105–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.07.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Vazquez YV, Barbosa SE (2016) Recycling of mixed plastic waste from electrical and electronic equipment. Added value by compatibilization. Waste Manag 53:196–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2016.04.022

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Brennan LB, Isaac DH, Arnold JC (2002) Recycling of acrylonitrile—butadiene—styrene and high-impact polystyrene from waste computer equipment. J Appl Polym Sci. https://doi.org/10.1002/app.10833

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Tarantili PA, Mitsakaki AN, Petoussi MA (2010) Processing and properties of engineering plastics recycled from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Polym Degrad Stab 95:405–410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2009.11.029

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Vazquez YV, Barbosa SE (2016) Process window for direct recycling of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene and high-impact polystyrene from electrical and electronic equipment waste. Waste Manag. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2016.10.021

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Balart R, López J, García D, Salvador MD (2005) Recycling of ABS and PC from electrical and electronic waste. Effect of miscibility and previous degradation on final performance of industrial blends. Eur Polym J 41:2150–2160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2005.04.001

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Hirayama D, Saron C (2015) Characterisation of recycled acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene and high-impact polystyrene from waste computer equipment in Brazil. Waste Manag Res 33:543–549. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X15584845

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Ma H, Xu Z, Tong L, Gu A, Fang Z (2006) Studies of ABS-graft-maleic anhydride/clay nanocomposites: morphologies, thermal stability and flammability properties. Polym Degrad Stab 91:2951–2959. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2006.08.017

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Karahaliou EK, Tarantili PA (2009) Preparation of poly(acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene)/montmorillonite nanocomposites and degradation studies during extrusion reprocessing. J Appl Polym Sci 113:2271–2281. https://doi.org/10.1002/app.30158

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Bai X, Isaac DH, Smith K (2007) Reprocessing acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene plastics: structure–property relationships. Polym Eng Sci. https://doi.org/10.1002/pen.20681

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Riise BL, Allen LE, Rau RC, Biddle MB (2011) Compositions of materials containing recycled plastics. US 7,884,140

  34. Xu Y, Sanchez JF, Njuguna J (2014) Cost modelling to support optimised selection of End-of-Life options for automotive components. Int J Adv Manuf Technol. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-014-5804-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Vilaplana F, Ribes-Greus A, Karlsson S (2006) Degradation of recycled high-impact polystyrene. Simulation by reprocessing and thermo-oxidation. Polym Degrad Stab 91:2163–2170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2006.01.007

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Mettler Toledo Int. (2020) ABS glass transition by DSC. https://www.mt.com/in/en/home/supportive_content/matchar_apps/MatChar_HB251.html. Accessed 15 June 2020

  37. De Souza AMC, Cucchiara MG, Ereio AV (2016) ABS/HIPS blends obtained from WEEE: Influence of processing conditions and composition. J Appl Polym Sci 133:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1002/app.43831

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Siregar JP, Salit MS, Zaki M, Rahman A (2011) Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calometric (DSC) analysis of pineapple leaf fibre (PALF) reinforced high impact polystyrene (HIPS) composites. Pertanika J Sci Technol 19:161–170

    Google Scholar 

  39. Vouvoudi EC, Rousi AT, Achilias DS (2017) Thermal degradation characteristics and products obtained after pyrolysis of specific polymers found in Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. Front Environ Sci Eng. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-017-0996-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Suzuki M, Wilkie CA (1995) The thermal degradation of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene terpolymei as studied by TGA/FTIR. Polym Degrad Stab 47:217–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/0141-3910(94)00122-O

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Cella RF, Mumbach GD, Andrade KL, Oliveira P, Marangoni C, Bolzan A, Bernard S, Antonio R, Machado F (2018) Polystyrene recycling processes by dissolution in ethyl acetate. J Appl Polym Sci 46208:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1002/app.46208

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Arnold JC, Alston S, Holder A (2009) Void formation due to gas evolution during the recycling of Acrylonitrile–Butadiene–Styrene copolymer (ABS) from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Polym Degrad Stab 94:693–700. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2008.12.019

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Perrin D, Mantaux O, Ienny P, Léger R, Dumon M, Lopez-cuesta J (2016) Influence of impurities on the performances of HIPS recycled from Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). Waste Manag 56:438–445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2016.07.014

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Kang H, Schoenung JM (2006) Economic analysis of electronic waste recycling: modeling the cost and revenue of a materials recovery facility in California. Environ Sci Technol 40:1672–1680

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Xu XF, Wang R, Tan ZY, Yang HD, Zhang MY, Zhang HX (2005) Effects of polybutadiene-g-SAN impact modifiers on the morphology and mechanical behaviors of ABS blends. Eur Polym J 41:1919–1926. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2005.02.025

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors sincerely acknowledge the financial assistance provided by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India for undertaking the study. The authors also thank Mr. Omdeo K Gohatre and Dr. Sunil S Suresh for technical assistance.

Funding

The financial assistance was provided by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India under the Grant Number DST/TSG/WM/2015/466-G.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laborotary of Advanced Research in Polymeric Materials (LARPM), Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET), B/25, CNI Complex, Patia, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, 751024, India

    K. Jaidev, Manoranjan Biswal, Smita Mohanty & Sanjay K. Nayak

Authors
  1. K. Jaidev
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Manoranjan Biswal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Smita Mohanty
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sanjay K. Nayak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

The work has been equally contributed and reviewed by all the authors before submission to the journal.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to K. Jaidev.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jaidev, K., Biswal, M., Mohanty, S. et al. Sustainable Waste Management of Engineering Plastics Generated from E-Waste: A Critical Evaluation of Mechanical, Thermal and Morphological Properties. J Polym Environ 29, 1763–1776 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-020-01998-z

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-020-01998-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation