Estimating the potential size of the Russian waste printed circuit board market

Abstract

Waste printed circuit boards make a complex recyclable material containing 15-20% Cu, 0.005-0.03% Au, 0.03-0.29% Ag, and therefore they can be of potential interest for Russian non-ferrous metals industry. Even though waste printed circuit boards (WPCB) fall under the category of radio and electronic waste, its chemical composition and sources of origin differentiate such scrap from the standard radio and electronic waste, which mainly come from computer components and electronic devices designed for military application. The authors of this paper look at the aspects of WPCB generation and collection while drawing a comparison with foreign markets. They offer a supposition that Russia may be behind the developed regions (EU in the first place) in terms of the WPCB collection levels. Two approaches are offered on how to narrow the gap: on the basis of electronics and home appliances consumption history estimate how much scrap can be generated in theory; and consider the amount of electronic waste generated to estimate the potential generation of WPCB. The results of the study helped estimate the potential generation and collection of WPCB in Russia. The relevant collection coefficient was calculated on the basis of the analysis results. A comparison with the markets in the developed (Scandinavian) countries indicates that it wouldn’t be impossible to scale up the WPCB collection and recycling in Russia. The authors conclude that the scrap collection can be increased. So far only a small amount of scrap has been recycled, and the most part of it is stored at solid waste landfills causing environmental pollution. © 2019, "Ore and Metals" Publishing house. All rights reserved.