Assessment of toxicity potential of metallic elements in discarded electronics: A case study of mobile phones in China

Wu, Bin; Chan, Y.C.; Middendorf, A.; Gu, Xin; Zhong, Hongmei

doi:10.1016/s1001-0742(08)62240-8

Cited by 79 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Other studies explore the material inventory of a mobile phone in order to understand their impact. These may be regarding a phones' components (Tan 2005;Yamaguchi et al 2003;Yang et al 2004;Sangprasert and Pharino 2013), materials (Lim and Schoenung 2010;Wu et al 2008;Neira et al 2006;Osibanjo and Nnorom 2008) or their sustainability (OECD 2010).…”

Section: Summary Of Literature Dedicated To Mobile Phonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mobile phones require a multitude of materials during their construction and can contain more than 40 elements (UNEP 2009;OECD 2010), many of which are considered as being at high risk (BGS 2012). A multitude of studies have explored the material composition of mobile phones by weight (Bhuie et al 2004;Hageluken 2006;Huisman 2004;Navazo et al 2014;Tanskanen 2013;Wu et al 2008;Yu et al 2010), or their printed circuit boards (PCBs) (Kasper et al 2011;Wang and Gaustad 2012;Yamane et al 2011), or simply elemental content (Takahashi et al 2009). One in particular investigated the potential for recovery of copper from PCBs (Kasper et al 2011).…”

Section: Recyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mobile phones have been studied for their potential toxicity due to the metals present (Wu et al 2008;Bhuie et al 2004;Lim and Schoenung 2010). The toxicity need not be limited to the metals, other materials are also responsible for adverse effects (Fishbein 2002).…”

Section: Recyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Redefining scope: the true environmental impact of smartphones?

Suckling

Lee

2015

Int J Life Cycle Assess

101

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Purpose The aim of this study is to explore the literature surrounding the environmental impact of mobile phones and the implications of moving from the current business model of selling, using and discarding phones to a product service system based upon a cloud service. The exploration of the impacts relating to this shift and subsequent change in scope is explored in relation to the life cycle profile of a typical smartphone. Methods A literature study is conducted into the existing literature in order to define the characteristics of a Btypicalŝ martphone. Focus is given to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in different life cycle phases in line with that reported in the majority of literature. Usage patterns from literature are presented in order to show how a smartphone is increasingly responsible for not only data consumption but also data generation. The subsequent consequences of this for the balance of the life cycle phases are explored with the inclusion of wider elements in the potential expanded mobile infrastructure, such as servers and the network. Results and discussion From the available literature, the manufacturing phase is shown to dominate the life cycle of a Btypical^smartphone for GHG emissions. Smartphone users are shown to be increasingly reliant upon the internet for provision of their communications. Adding a server into the scope of a smartphone is shown to increase the use phase impact from 8.5 to 18.0 kg CO 2 -eq, other phases are less affected. Addition of the network increases the use phase by another 24.7 kg CO 2 -eq. In addition, it is shown that take-back of mobile phones is not effective at present and that prompt return of the phones could result in reduction in impact by best reuse potential and further reduction in toxic emissions through inappropriate disposal. Conclusions The way in which consumers interact with their phones is changing, leading to a system which is far more integrated with the internet. A product service system based upon a cloud service highlights the need for improved energy efficiency to make greatest reduction in GHG emissions in the use phase, and gives a mechanism to exploit residual value of the handsets by timely return of the phones, their components and recovery of materials.

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Section: Summary Of Literature Dedicated To Mobile Phonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Recyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Redefining scope: the true environmental impact of smartphones?

Suckling

Lee

2015

Int J Life Cycle Assess

101

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“…The retired mobile phones seem to have a minor share on the amount of WEEE generated. However, considering the huge amount of the mobile phones subscriptions around the world, their contribution to total environmental impacts of WEEE should not be neglected (Wu et al, 2008;Nnorom and Osibanjo, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of retired mobile phones generation in China: A comparative study on methodology

Yang

et al. 2015

Waste Management

112

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“…In the past, initial use of the TPI has been applied to evaluate electronic products such as metals in mobile phones (Wu et al 2008), electronic solder types (Fujino et al 2005), electronic ignition system components (Yen and Chen 2003), and light emitting diodes (LEDs) (Lim et al 2011) to show varying degrees of data transparency and completeness. For toxicity screening, this is one of the first case studies, of which we are aware, where the Bill-of-Materials (BoM), i.e., details on the components, is completely and openly described for the entire electronic products assessed (rather than as a simplified list of material content), where aggregation of materials TPI scores into a component-level TPI score is quantitatively analyzed, and where uncertainty issues are explicitly addressed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating toxicity reduction strategies for materials and components into product design: A case study on utility meters

Lam

Lim

Ogunseitan

et al. 2013

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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Using RIO Tronics utility meter products as an industrial case study, the numeric Fraunhofer Toxic Potential Indicator (TPI) assessment tool is used to determine high impact materials with the aim of reducing the content of inherently toxic substances in these products. However, because product redesign with alternative materials affects entire components, overall component toxicity potential must also be explored. To achieve this, material TPI scores are aggregated into component TPI scores by 2 methods: 1) the Sum-Weighted Component TPI method, which considers the mass of materials in the component to assign an overall score, and 2) the Max Component TPI method, which scores the component with the highest impact material. With consideration of uncertainties from materials' toxicity information and mass estimates, key results from both scoring methods prioritized components that contain acrylonitrile-based polymers, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and stainless steel. Furthermore, an alternative materials assessment is carried out to identify less-toxic substitutes to meet cost and technical constraints. Substitute materials such as Al alloys for stainless steel and high-density polyethylene for PVC show promise for a combination of toxicity reduction and cost-effectiveness. The new screening methodology described can help product designers systematically benchmark toxicity potential in parallel to cost and functionality. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2013;9:319-328. © 2012 SETAC

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Assessment of toxicity potential of metallic elements in discarded electronics: A case study of mobile phones in China

Cited by 79 publications

References 8 publications

Redefining scope: the true environmental impact of smartphones?

Redefining scope: the true environmental impact of smartphones?

Estimation of retired mobile phones generation in China: A comparative study on methodology

Integrating toxicity reduction strategies for materials and components into product design: A case study on utility meters

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