RECYCLING OF PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS BY DIRECT MOLDING TECHNOLOGY

The recovery and reuse of printed circuit boards (PCBs) is becoming crucial in the management of electronic waste that is undergoing an exponential increase. In this study, a simple and eco-friendly process for recycling waste PCBs is discussed. In particular, composite panels were produced by reusing 100% of waste PCBs without the addition of any additive or virgin material. After a two-step grinding process, ground PCB was used to mold panels by direct molding which is pure compression molding without material sorting. Results were very promising in terms of process feasibility and part performances. Molded samples had density about 1.45 g/cm(3), flexural modulus and flexural about 3 GPa and 16 MPa, respectively. A smooth surface with low friction coefficient was obtained for the recycled panels. The study shows that despite the presence of metal and other non-metal non-organic fractions, waste PCBs can be re-processed in profitable and environmentally conscious way without the addition of any bonding agent or additive. The recycling technology can be extended to the reuse of the non-metallic fraction only, after separation and recovery of metals.