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Repurposed: Ground Circuit Board Waste Can Clean Up Toxic Metals

Posted by timothy on from the that-word-can't-help-looking-wrong dept.

ckwu writes "Researchers in Hong Kong have found a beneficial new use for the electronic waste from discarded cell phones, computers, and other gadgets. Ground up into a powder, printed circuit boards from these products could sponge up another type of pollution — toxic heavy metals in water. The researchers processed the nonmetallic fraction of waste circuit boards into a powder and found that it adsorbed metals like copper, lead, and zinc more efficiently than commercially available industrial adsorbents."

6 of 33 comments (clear)

  1. That's the clever part, by Kaenneth · · Score: 4, Funny

    When Winter comes, the Gorillas will all freeze to death.

    1. Re:That's the clever part, by HairyNevus · · Score: 4, Informative
      For those scratching their heads:

      Skinner: ahh, but as it turns out the lizards where a god send since they've eaten all the pigeons.
      Lisa: Isn't that a little short sighted, what happens when where up to our ears with lizards?
      Skinner: Ah, well we shall simply release wave after wave of Chinese needles snakes.
      Lisa: then what about the snakes?
      Skinner: We simply import gorillas who will eat all the snakes.
      Lisa: Well what happens when we're up to our ears in gorilla's!
      Skinner: Ah that's the beauty of the thing, come winter the gorillas will freeze to death.

      --
      You were critically hit for no damage. The bruise will look nice, and maybe the scars will make good party talk.
  2. good tech doing good work by kermidge · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This is good tech stuff, for real-world use and valid "news for nerds, stuff that matters" - oops, we don't do that here anymore. It's one of the ways tech is supposed to work.

    Somebody had a thought, "I wonder..." or "What if..." and tested it.
    It worked; in fact, it worked very well. The need is not restricted to China, either.

    What's not to like? Where's the applause?

    1. Re:good tech doing good work by slew · · Score: 3, Informative

      FWIW, it's not as if non-metallic recycled parts of circuit boards aren't in wide use today.

      The groundup non-metalic parts of circuit boards are used in plastic lumber, insulating concrete, asphault, and as a structural filler for some composite materials which are used for various types of products from furniture, to lunch trays and picture frames. Generally this pcb-waste-resin composite material is considered a high-quality replacement for wood-plastic material resulting in material that handle better bending stresses.

      The use of this in pulverized power form after treatment with KOH as heavy metal adsorber/filter is perhaps interesting/novel, but as stated in the article...

      Although the boards can become effective adsorbents, he says the method for making the materials may not be as energy efficient and cost effective as for other adsorbents, such as granular ferric hydroxide, because of all the processing steps needed to produce the treated powder.

      And since there are many other current uses for the waste circuit board material that require less energy and processing steps, it's not clear that this result is anything other than a novelty result...

  3. Re:Costs more to do less = Dead at the start by Beorytis · · Score: 2

    From the article:

    ...method for making the materials may not be as energy efficient and cost effective as for other adsorbents...

    Conclusion - its dead before its even starts.

    Right, because no one has ever figured out how to make a chemical process more energy efficient or cost effective before.

  4. Re:nonmetalic pcbs? by Ignacio · · Score: 2

    Either as wire-wrap perfboards, or you heat up 2-layer PCBs (to burn out the adhesive holding down the traces) and strip out the vias.