Title: Environmental sensitivity of printed circuit board manufacturing to Cu recycling rate, transportation and various energy sources

Authors: Elif Ozkan; Bilge Bas; Nilay Elginoz; Fatos Germirli Babuna

Addresses: Environmental Engineering Department, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak 34469, Istanbul, Turkey ' Civil Engineering Department, Istanbul Bilgi University, Santralistanbul Campus, Kazim Karabekir Caddesi, No. 2/13, Eyupsultan 34060, Istanbul, Turkey ' Chemical Engineering Department, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, 11428, Sweden ' Environmental Engineering Department, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak 34469, Istanbul, Turkey

Abstract: This study concentrates on environmental impacts of PCB manufacturing. The objective is to examine the effect of Cu recycling rate, transportation, energy sources and end-of-life (EoL) on global warming potential (GWP), marine aquatic ecotoxicity potential (MAEP), terrestric ecotoxicity potential (TETP), freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity potential (FAETP), human toxicity potential (HTP), ozone layer depletion (ODP), photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP), eutrophication potential (EP), acidification potential (AP) and abiotic depletion potential (ADP fossil, ADP elements) potentials. Increasing Cu recycling rate from 30% to 47%, reduce the impacts by 10 to 103%. The most significant reduction is for HTP. Transportation elevates AP and POCP by 29%, ADP fossil by 23% and GWP by 21%. Obtaining energy from renewable sources causes 56, 40 and 39% reductions in HTP, ADP fossil and GWP, namely. Apart from GWP where PCB manufacturing and EoL has equal impacts, for the other categories PCB manufacturing has more than 75% contribution.

Keywords: printed circuit board; PCB; life cycle assessment; manufacturing; electronics industry; Cu recycling; transportation; energy source.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGW.2020.106596

International Journal of Global Warming, 2020 Vol.20 No.3, pp.237 - 248

Received: 31 Jul 2019
Accepted: 26 Oct 2019
Published online: 15 Apr 2020 *

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