In China, researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University are finding various ways to reuse printed circuit boards from discarded electronics, including as an additive in asphalt. Mr. Xu Zhenmings team stripped the boards of all components, pulverized the remains into a powder and used an electrostatic separator to remove fine bits of any remaining metals, leaving a pulp of glass fibres and resin. The remnants were then added to warmed asphalt, to find out if the pulp would act as a binder.

Binders such as ground tyre rubber and charcoal are typically added to improve asphalts stiffness at high temperatures (to reduce rutting) and its pliability at low temperatures (to prevent cracking). The pulp was found to improve both properties, especially when the powder grains were made as small as possible. Mr. Zhenmings team is testing the modified asphalt to check how it holds up to outdoor conditions over time. It is also experimenting with forming the pulp into sheets that can be made into structures such as park benches and fences.
Source: www.scientificamerican.com

Japanese companies Panasonic Corp. and Panasonic Eco Technology Centre Co. Ltd. (PETEC) have developed a recycling technology using laser beams to separate the front panel and back part (funnel) of cathode ray tubes (CRTs) used in television (TV) sets. This laser-cut technology allows for separating CRTs quicker and cleaner than before. With this highly-efficient technology, Panasonic is poised to respond to the increasing demand for recycling used CRT TVs, tonnes of which are expected to be thrown away as the shift to digital terrestrial broadcasting is scheduled for completion in 2011 in Japan.

Panasonics CRT recycling technology employs laser radiation to reduce the processing time with much less manual work, allowing one tube to be processed in 50 s, three times faster than the previous method. The laser head of the system has a surface profiling function to maintain a constant distance between the focal point and surface of the glass. With the radiation energy control adjusting the laser beam light intensity to the circumferential velocity, the system achieves a high-quality cut with no mixing between the front and funnel glass. Further, the laser cutter is fully automated to measure the size (14-36 inches) and types (normal and wide) of CRT TVs and process with the laser conditions (38 different sets of conditions) suited to the size and type of each CRT.
Source: techon.nikkeibp.co.jp

New research at the University of York, the United Kingdom, suggests that waste material from discarded televisions could be recycled and used in medicine. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a chemical widely used in industry, is a key element of television (TV) sets with liquid crystal display (LCD) technology. When these sets are thrown away, the LCD panels are usually incinerated or buried in landfill sites. Scientists at York have now found a way to recover PVA from television screens and transforming it into a material suitable for use in tissue scaffolds that help parts of the body to regenerate. They can also be used in pills and dressings that are designed to deliver drugs to particular parts of the body. The researchers have developed a technique where recovered material is heated in water using a microwave and washed in ethanol to produce expanded PVA. One of the key properties of this material is that it does not provoke a response from the human bodys immune system, making it suitable for use in biomedicine.
Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Henan ZK Mining & Construction Machinery Co. Ltd., China, offers a complete set of environmental recycling equipment for waste and old circuit boards. The patented equipment adopts advanced and innovative recycling techniques. It pulverizes and recycles waste and old printed circuit boards, household equipment and so forth. The purity of recycled metal can reach to 97 per cent. The main equipment includes crusher, pulverizer, separator, vibrating screen, cyclone collector, etc. Contact: Ms. Christina Zhou, Henan ZK Mining & Construction Machinery Co. Ltd., West Huagong Road, Zhengzhou City, Henan, China. Tel: +86 (1352) 6817 088; Fax: +86 (371) 6789 8596.
Source: www.ec21.com