Applying Circular Thermoeconomics for Sustainable Metal Recovery in PCB Recycling

Jorge Torrubia (), César Torres (), Alicia Valero, Antonio Valero, Ashak Mahmud Parvez, Mohsin Sajjad and Felipe García Paz
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Jorge Torrubia: Research Institute for Energy and Resource Efficiency of Aragón (Energaia), University of Zaragoza, Campus Río Ebro, Mariano Esquillor Gómez, 15, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
César Torres: Research Institute for Energy and Resource Efficiency of Aragón (Energaia), University of Zaragoza, Campus Río Ebro, Mariano Esquillor Gómez, 15, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
Alicia Valero: Research Institute for Energy and Resource Efficiency of Aragón (Energaia), University of Zaragoza, Campus Río Ebro, Mariano Esquillor Gómez, 15, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
Antonio Valero: Research Institute for Energy and Resource Efficiency of Aragón (Energaia), University of Zaragoza, Campus Río Ebro, Mariano Esquillor Gómez, 15, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
Ashak Mahmud Parvez: Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden—Rossendorf e.V. (HZDR), Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF), Chemnitzer Str. 40, 09599 Freiberg, Germany
Mohsin Sajjad: Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden—Rossendorf e.V. (HZDR), Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF), Chemnitzer Str. 40, 09599 Freiberg, Germany
Felipe García Paz: Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden—Rossendorf e.V. (HZDR), Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF), Chemnitzer Str. 40, 09599 Freiberg, Germany

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-23

Abstract: The momentum of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is driving increased demand for certain specific metals. These include copper, silver, gold, and platinum group metals (PGMs), which have important applications in renewable energies, green hydrogen, and electronic products. However, the continuous extraction of these metals is leading to a rapid decline in their ore grades and, consequently, increasing the environmental impact of extraction. Hence, obtaining metals from secondary sources, such as waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), has become imperative for both environmental sustainability and ensuring their availability. To evaluate the sustainability of the process, this paper proposes using an exergy approach, which enables appropriate allocation among co-products, as well as the assessment of exergy losses and the use of non-renewable resources. As a case study, this paper analyzes the recycling process of waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) by disaggregating the exergy cost into renewable and non-renewable sources, employing different exergy-based cost allocation methods for the mentioned metals. It further considers the complete life cycle of metals using the Circular Thermoeconomics methodology. The results show that, when considering the entire life cycle, between 47% and 53% of the non-renewable exergy is destroyed during recycling. Therefore, delaying recycling as much as possible would be the most desirable option for minimizing the use of non-renewable resources.

Keywords: thermoeconomics; circular economy; renewable energies; PCB recycling; exergy life cycle; exergy replacement cost (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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