Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname/Family Name O'Hara Given Name/s TobyY Abbreviation for degree as give in the University calendar MMatTech Faculty Science School Materials Science and Engineering Recovery of Copper Rich Fractions from Waste Printed Circuit Boards of Th esis Title Mobiles Abstract 350 words maximum: (PLEASE TYPE) A significant innovation of the 20th century, the printed circuit board (PCB), and its components, i.e. printed wiring board (PWB) plus integrated circuits (ICs), are ubiquitous, even if they are not always visible, but are instead tucked away inside of useful gadgets. From very small segments for simple computations in children's toys, to dense, multi ;;�ye red, highly complex arrays of PCBs present housed in stacks of black boxes in server rooms all over the world, these workhorses of the modern world are produced to meet the technological needs of billions of businesses, government organisations, and individuals. In a world of rapid technological innovation, toys, personal devices, and business machines are all upgraded and improved on a regular basis. It is well established that e-waste, or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), is an increasing waste stream. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the life span of computers in 1997 was on average six years, but more recently, in 2005, the life span of a computer is just two years. This estimate is likely to have worsened rather than improved since 2005. Research has characterised the electronic waste (e-waste) stream, and has proposed various recovery methods. It is also worth noting that characterising the waste stream and making discoveries towards better recovery clearly demonstrate the value proposition inherent in doing so. This paper discusses recovering copper from waste Printed Circuit Board (PCB), a common component of e-waste, specifically PCB from mobile phones (MPCB), which have been demonstrated to have a short lifespan. Additionally, mobiles are increasingly common, by some estimates production has exceeded the quantity of one smart phone per person worldwide. Processing of mobile phones using heat treatment has been proven effectivein recovering materials from waste MPCB, this paper discusses options for recovery of copper at differenttemperatures. Declaration relating to disposition of projectthesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here afterknown, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, such as patent rights. 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Candidate’s Name Signature Date (dd/mm/yy) COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ‘I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents a non-exclusive licence to archive and to make available (including to members of the public) my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known. I acknowledge that I retain all intellectual property rights which subsist in my thesis or dissertation, such as copyright and patent rights, subject to applicable law. I also retain the right to use all or part of my thesis or dissertation in future works (such as articles or books).’ ‘For any substantial portions of copyright material used in this thesis, written permission for use has been obtained, or the copyright material is removed from the final public version of the thesis.’ Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date …………………………………………….............................. AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT ‘I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis.’ Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date …………………………………………….............................. Faculty of Science School of Materials Science and Engineering Recovery of Copper Rich Fractions from Waste Printed Circuit Boards of Mobiles A thesis in Materials Science and Engineering By Toby O’Hara Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of requirement for the degree of MASTER by Research December 2019 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Without my supervisors, this present study would never have been possible: Professor Veena Sahajwalla and Farshid Palevani. A big thank you to Ravindra Rajarao, for assistance, Irshad Mansuri, lab manager, and other technical staff like Mohannand Mayyas, Rasoul Nekouei for their assistance, including Anne Rich, Rabeya Akter, and Simon Hager. My family and close friends were there for me when I felt like giving up, I owe them big time. 2 ABSTRACT A significant innovation of the 20th century, the printed circuit board (PCB), and its components, i.e. printed wiring board (PWB) plus integrated circuits (ICs), are ubiquitous, even if they are not always visible, but are instead tucked away inside of useful gadgets. From very small segments for simple computations in children’s toys, to dense, multi layered, highly complex arrays of PCBs present housed in stacks of black boxes in server rooms all over the world, these workhorses of the modern world are produced to meet the technological needs of billions of businesses, government organisations, and individuals. In a world of rapid technological innovation, toys, personal devices, and business machines are all upgraded and improved on a regular basis. It is well established that e-waste, or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), is an increasing waste stream. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the life span of computers in 1997 was on average six years, but more recently, in 2005, the life span of a computer is just two years. This estimate is likely to have worsened rather than improved since 2005. Research has characterised the electronic waste (e-waste) stream, and has proposed various recovery methods. It is also worth noting that characterising the waste stream and making discoveries towards better recovery clearly demonstrate the value proposition inherent in doing so. This paper discusses recovering copper from waste Printed Circuit Board (PCB), a common component of e-waste, specifically PCB from mobile phones (MPCB), which have been demonstrated to have a short lifespan. Additionally, mobiles are increasingly common, by some estimates production has exceeded the quantity of one smart phone per person worldwide. Processing of mobile phones using heat treatment has been proven effective in recovering materials from waste