A method for treating waste printed circuit board includes carbonizing waste printed circuit board together with a calcium compound at 400 C. to 600 C. in a non-oxidizing atmosphere to fix a halogen contained in the board as calcium halide and to melt a solder of the board to allow mounted parts to be easily separated from the board, performing crushing after the carbonizing, and sieving crushed materials into fine particles of less than 0.5 mm containing the calcium compounds, medium particles containing the mounted parts, and coarse particles containing board pieces such that the crushed materials are sorted into the calcium compounds, the mounted parts, and the board pieces.

A system for processing compounds having constituent materials of different mechanical characteristics to extract their constituent materials. The system includes (a) a grinder configured to grind a bulk compound material into an initial mixture of tiny particles; (b) a preimpact separator configured to separate the particles into two groups based on their respective mechanical properties, one group being a preimpact mixture comprising the compound particles; (c) a kinetic impactor configured to impact, via an acoustic shockwave, the compound particles of the preimpact mixture, thereby creating a postimpact mixture comprising (i) subparticles of 1.sup.st-constituent-material and (ii) reduced-compound particles comprising a 2nd constituent material; and (d) a postimpact separator configured to separate the reduced compound particles from the postimpact mixture based on a mechanical property.

The present application provides a device for disassembling electronics, the device comprising transporting means (4) and/or holding means (5) arranged to receive one or more objects containing one or more electronic components, the holding means (5) being adjustable, imaging means (3) for imaging the object and/or measuring means for measuring the object, one or more removal means (6) for removing one or more electronic components from the object, the means being operatively connected to a control unit (1). The present application also provides a method for disassembling electronics with the device.

A system for deoxidizing metals that includes (a) a grinder configured to grind oxidized metallic material into an initial (preimpact) mixture of tiny oxidized metallic particles, suspended in water; (b) a preimpact separator configured to separate the particles into two groups based on their respective physical properties, one group being a preimpact mixture comprising the compound particles including oxidized metal; (c) a HIT-type kinetic impactor configured to generate a series of high voltage electrical discharges in water, thereby creating plasma explosions that both impact the particles suspended in water and, of those, electrochemically reduce the suspended oxidized metal particles into de-oxidized metallic particles; and (d) a postimpact separator configured to extract the reconstituted (deoxidized) metallic particles from the water solution.

The system and method described herein provides a system and method for using ion-exchange resins to remove excess copper during processes such as PCB (Printed Circuit Board) fabrication using cupric chloride etchants. Cu.sup.+2 is used to oxidize solid copper producing two Cu.sup.+ ions. During operation, the etchant is overloaded with copper ions and an extraction system is implemented to control the concentration and remove excess copper. Traditional systems use liquid extractions but these systems can be costly and use hazardous solvents. Ion-exchange resins serve as a solution for controlling the concentration, absorbing metal ions and retaining them until desorption. The system and method further determines the effectiveness of the resin in removing the copper based on performing adsorption and desorption at varying flow rates. The results showed that the resin effectively removes copper at various flowrates, removing an average of 10.06 g/l Cu from a bulk value of three beds of etchant.

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a stirring and separating device for high-value components of a waste PCB and a control method thereof. The stirring and separating device comprises an insulated outer tank for accommodating a desoldering flux. The insulated outer tank is provided with a stirring mechanism. The stirring mechanism includes a main rotation shaft. A plurality of spaced cross beams are mounted at a bottom of the main rotation shaft. Each of the cross beams is provided with a secondary rotation shaft. A bottom of each of the secondary rotation shafts is rotationally connected with a stirring wheel through at least two connecting rods. At least two connection points are formed between each of the at least two connecting rods and the stirring wheel. When any one or more of the at least two connection points are disconnected, the stirring wheel rotates to a different angle.

An automated method for sorting circuit boards for recycling is described. The method includes scanning a layout design for a circuit board and comparing the scanned layout design with a database of circuit board layout designs. Each of the layout designs being associated with a respective precious metal content value. A match between the scanned layout design and one of the circuit board layout designs in the database is identified. The method then assigns a precious metal designation to the scanned circuit board based on the identified match. The precious metal designation corresponds to the precious metal content value associated with the matched circuit board layout from the database. The method also includes sorting the scanned circuit board into a group associated with the assigned precious metal designation.

It is provided an environmentally friendly process for recycling metals and nonmetallic components from printed circuit boards (PCBs), without using treatments considered damaging to the environment and minimizing emission of greenhouse gases comprising the steps of shredding the PCBs, micronizing the shredded PCBs producing a micronized powder, removing plastic and epoxy from the micronized powder, leaching, precipitating and recuperating the Al, Fe, Zn, Ni, Cr, Cu, Au, Ag, and Pd from the micronized powder, producing a filtrate from which the Cu is recovered. The solid product of the process is a concentrate of precious metals.

A system for processing compounds having constituent materials of different mechanical characteristics to extract their constituent materials. The system includes (a) a grinder configured to grind a bulk compound material into an initial mixture of tiny particles; (b) a preimpact separator configured to separate the particles into two groups based on their respective mechanical properties, one group being a preimpact mixture comprising the compound particles; (c) a kinetic impactor configured to impact, via an acoustic shockwave, the compound particles of the preimpact mixture, thereby creating a postimpact mixture comprising (i) subparticles of 1.sup.st-constituent-material and (ii) reduced-compound particles comprising a 2nd constituent material; and (d) a postimpact separator configured to separate the reduced compound particles from the postimpact mixture based on a mechanical property.

The present invention relates to a method of treating waste material using superheated steam in an apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a treatment vessel comprising a treatment zone wherein at least one steam inlet is located at one end of the treatment zone and at least one steam outlet is located at the opposite end of the treatment zone; the method comprising: a. a loading step, comprising loading the waste material at a temperature of less than 50 degrees C. into the treatment zone; b. a treatment step comprising: i. feeding superheated steam at a temperature of from 300 to 800 degrees C. into the treatment zone through the at least one steam inlet and ii. removing steam and any gaseous reaction products through the at least one steam outlet; and c. a removal step comprising removing any remaining solid product from the treatment vessel after the treatment step wherein apart from the superheated steam, any additional heating applied in the treatment zone during the treatment step raises the temperature of the treatment zone by 100 degrees C. or less.