Life cycle assessment of repurposed waste electric and electronic equipment in comparison with original equipment

Martínez, Marta Pérez; Carrillo, C.; Iglesias, Javier Rodeiro; Soto, B.

doi:10.1016/j.spc.2021.03.017

Cited by 20 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 46 publications

(57 reference statements)

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“…While some EEE faces a rapid depreciation of its value, most of the ICT products with high economic value have the potential for reuse, given minimal efforts for repair [41]. However, dysfunctional EEE should be checked and repaired, known as preparation of reuse (PfR), before reusing them for the exact requirement or a different purpose, known as repurposing [65]. A repair process usually involves product identification, failure diagnosis, disassembly and reassembly, and replacement of spare parts to restore working condition.…”

Section: Repair and Reusementioning

confidence: 99%

Management of Small WEEE: Future Directions for Australia

Jayasiri,

Herat,

Kaparaju

2023

Sustainability

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Globally, the generation of small Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is rapidly increasing and accounted for over 30% of total E-waste in 2019. Managing this critical waste stream has proven challenging in Australia due to diverse product categories, short lifespans, and high frequency of disposal. To address the issue, a Multivocal Literature Analysis was conducted to identify prevailing situations, barriers, and prospects for a practical management framework. Findings were thematically analysed based on sustainability and circular-economy principles. The study revealed several critical obstacles, including the lack of involvement by local governments, the mixing of small WEEE with municipal waste, the absence of an established repair and reuse culture, and the limited domestic application of recovered metals. To address these issues, the study identifies the need for a dedicated co-regulatory stewardship scheme based on extended producer responsibility with eco-modulated fees and realistic scheme targets. Additionally, to accommodate the high product diversity, the expansion of treatment infrastructure is suggested while encouraging responsible consumption among customers. The findings of this investigation hold substantial value for the regulatory bodies in developing and implementing small-WEEE management schemes for Australia.

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Section: Repair and Reusementioning

confidence: 99%

Management of Small WEEE: Future Directions for Australia

Jayasiri,

Herat,

Kaparaju

2023

Sustainability

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“…Furthermore, as previously introduced, e-waste recycling can be an outstanding source of raw materials (including rare earth metals) for European economies, which traditionally lack mineral resources; interestingly, recycling processes allow for reducing both energy usage and CO 2 emissions when compared to raw ore processing [26]. The feasibility of WEEE reuse, instead, strongly depends on commercial alternatives for product application, with power consumption and life-span being major factors in the overall reuse feasibility [27]. Remarkably, not always WEEE reuse is environmentally more sustainable than recycling, especially when dealing with energy-intensive equipment (e.g., white goods), whose efficiency throughout their life-span is more impactful than the construction phase [28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Techno-Economic Feasibility of Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment Treatment Plant: A Multi-Decisional Modeling Approach

Cottes,

Mainardis,

Simeoni

2023

Sustainability

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Nowadays, sustainable approaches to waste management are becoming critical, due to increased generation and complex physicochemical composition. Waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) management, in particular, is being given increasing attention due to the continuous augment in electronic equipment usage and the limited recycling rates. In this work, a multi-objective engineering optimization approach using a decision support system (DSS) was used to analyze the feasibility of installing a WEEE treatment plant in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region (Northeastern Italy), considering that most of the produced WEEE is currently exported outside the region. Meaningful economic and environmental parameters were considered in the assessment, together with current WEEE production and composition. Plant investment cost was in the range of EUR 7–35 M for a potentiality of 8000–40,000 ton of treated WEEE/yr, the lower bound corresponding to the WEEE produced in the region. Payback time was 4.3–10 yr, strongly depending on the market’s economic conditions as well as on plant potentiality. Proper public subsidies should be provided for a plant treating only the locally produced WEEE, establishing a circular economy. The fraction of recovered materials was 78–83%, fulfilling the current EU legislative requirements of 80% and stabilizing around values of 80% for a higher washing machine fraction. An increase in personal computers may allow to augment the economic revenues, due to the high conferral fees, while it reduces the amounts of recovered materials, due to their complex composition. CO2 emission reduction thanks to material recovery was in the range of 8000–38,000 ton CO2/yr, linearly depending on the plant potentiality. The developed DSS system could be used both by public authorities and private companies to preliminarily evaluate the most important technical, financial and environmental aspects to assess overall plant sustainability. The proposed approach can be exported to different locations and integrated with energy recovery (i.e., incineration of the non-recoverable fractions), analyzing both environmental and economic aspects flexibly.

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“…Relevant life cycle assessments (LCA) have already been carried out in the context of electrical appliances [16][17][18][19][20]. Most LCA studies that consider the manufacturing of appliances at the product level [21,22] show in the best scenario which material has a high or low environmental impact, but not which component.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using New Spare Parts for Repair of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment? The Material Footprint of Individual Components

Gries

Bringezu

2022

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The growing production of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) requires close loop management to protect the environment and save resources. Repair and reuse can extend the product’s life span. However, debates on the differences seen in resource consumption linked to the different ways of repairing devices have received a limited amount of attention. This article demonstrates quantification of the resource consumption (cradle-to-gate) of five types of appliances on a component level based on life-cycle assessment within the framework of the product-material-footprint. The data for this assessment is based on the dismantling of these products, weighing their components, and determining their material composition. The results show that the resource relevance of all devices is dominated by a few individual components. For example, for flat-screen monitors, 5 out of 17 components per device account for more than 90% of resource consumption (abiotic total material requirement). Hence, repairing devices while using new spare parts is not always the most resource-efficient way of handling WEEE. The results of this investigation suggest that the resource consumption in repairs should be taken into account at different levels, e.g., regulatory, with regard to eco-design requirements, or for informational purposes with a view to the consideration of the repair and reuse practices.

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Life cycle assessment of repurposed waste electric and electronic equipment in comparison with original equipment

Cited by 20 publications

References 46 publications

Management of Small WEEE: Future Directions for Australia

Management of Small WEEE: Future Directions for Australia

Assessing the Techno-Economic Feasibility of Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment Treatment Plant: A Multi-Decisional Modeling Approach

Using New Spare Parts for Repair of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment? The Material Footprint of Individual Components

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