End of life control and management of heavy metals out of electronics

In order to enlarge the insight of the behaviour of heavy metals during the processing of end-of-life electronic products more assessment analyses should be made. The aim is to improve the control and management of heavy metal loops during the end-of-life treatment of these products. Four relevant end-of-life options are simulated by modelling and, related to calculated and appointed distribution patterns, the presence of ten selected heavy metals in different process flows is determined. This determination is executed for three groups of electronic products. With the help of these calculations the amounts of heavy metal leaking into the environment are established. The results show that mainly air emissions, for instance emissions of lead and zinc, contribute to the observed leakages. Environmental impact considerations, combined with more knowledge of heavy metals control, will support the priority setting with regard to limited application of specific heavy metals (design for end-of-life).