End-of-Life challenges of printed electronics

Wastes from electrical and electronic equipment are the fastest growing waste category. In order to reclaim most of this waste, it is important to consider environmental, safety and health issues of products end-of-life phase as early as in the design phase. Maximum advantage is gained when these issues are already considered while new technology, such as printed electronics, is under development. The aim of this paper is to identify the risks inherent in the end-of-life (EoL) phase of printed electronics. Possible risks include leaching of silver if placed in landfill, and toxic emissions formed during incineration. Measurement methods for quantitative risk analysis of example case are described in this paper.