Controlling computers and electronics waste: Toward solving environmental problems

Abstract

Abstract-Environment problem becomes an essential issue associated modern life in this century. Advancement in electronic production and cost reduction in the last few decades leads to rapid growing of computers and electronic productions (e-devices). This was associated with flood of advertisements which affect customer's decision on buying new products regardless of their real needs. Although e-devices improved human life but it created a serious environmental problem called e-waste. Millions of tons of e-waste generated worldwide yearly, which is more toxic and harmful than normal household garbage. E-waste contains toxic heavy metals including arsenic, antimony, lead, mercury, nickel and zinc. Increasing consumption of e-devices in developing countries and transferring e-waste from developed to developing countries make the problem worst. So we need an innovative and creative engineers and effective recycling system to produce eco-friendly products that are easier to recycle and handle in their end-of-life. Several developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America still suffer from lack of advance recycling and disposal treatment experience. Workers in recycling are exposed to hazardous chemicals and material when braking e-products and extracting its valuable contents besides the polluting of water, air and soil. This paper studying the e-waste status and proposes a framework for guidance solution to control and eliminate e-waste, protecting workers and environment in developing world as step toward green environment.

The importance of self-generation of electricity through controlled recycling: A case study in West Sub-Saharan African regions

“…Therefore, in agreement with previous studies [21,23], the present article proposes the realisation of an adequate process of controlled reuse (Fig. 1) of electric and electronic products that exist mainly in landfills [1,9] for the manufacture of a small wind-powered electricity generation system. This will be carried out in the workshops and school workshops located in the education centres where the learners undertake their practical training, which, in some cases, are also linked to the subsequent commercialisation of the manufactured products, whose manufacturing cost is quite low, since the working hours of the students and a considerable part of the material are free [9].…”

“…The working methods used in international landfills in West Sub-Saharan Africa are the consequence of shortening of the life cycle of some technologies, which leads to the substitution of certain equipment that still has different benefits and possibilities, thus promoting a short life cycle and an early technological obsolescence of electrical and electronic equipment [1,2]. All this implies a significant increase in electrical and electronic waste and the international use of certain regions as landfills [3,4].…”

“…Moreover, certain regions, such as Nigeria and Ghana, do not have laws for the treatment of waste [9]. Given this situation, reuse in the very landfills has been proposed as a solution [1,10] and this offers the most disadvantaged population an economic opportunity [7,11,12]; however, the typology of electric-electronic waste [9] and the lack of resources and training of the population [1] involve unsafe and unhealthy conditions [2,5,11], thus generating proven and quantified environmental impacts [1,2,4,5,11,13]. In addition to this, the laws on child protection to prevent child labour (13-15 years of age) are not properly applied and controlled, which, along with the existing economic needs, allows minors to work in the landfills [14], leading to a large number of early deaths associated with the exposure to toxic emissions and substances from the landfills [12].…”

Electrical Generator’s Manufacturing through Recycled Materials for Self-consumption

“…The relentless growth of demand in the market for the performance of electrical and electronic products and the reduction in the purchase price experienced in recent years [1,2] have enabled the option to purchase and replace equipment in the face of possible repairs, thus reducing its useful life and consequently increasing the amount of waste generated [3].…”

“…Faced with this problem, reuse in the dumps themselves is one of the main solutions [2,12], but the type of manufacturing of electrical and electronic waste and the lack of resources and preparation of the population [2] mean that the collection of certain materials for their subsequent sale is carried out through uncontrolled recycling in unsafe and unhealthy conditions [1,6,11], which in turn generates certain proven and quantified environmental impacts: high levels of heavy metals, chemicals such as the phthalates DEHP and DBP (which interfere with reproduction) or chlorinated dioxins which are linked to cancer [1-From orig minimizing t and establish but in a responsibilit managemen recycling of restrictions o that would f On the ot inefficient en which mad access for resources su depend on w in Africa, fo of energy fo raw materia and availabl…”