Researchers recycle circuit boards as road paving material

Citation

(2009), "Researchers recycle circuit boards as road paving material", Circuit World, Vol. 35 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/cw.2009.21735bab.006

Researchers recycle circuit boards as road paving material

Article Type: Industry news From: Circuit World, Volume 35, Issue 2

Researchers in China have reported that discarded electronic hardware, including bits and pieces that built the information superhighway, can be recycled into an additive that makes super-strong asphalt paving material for real highways.

They describe development of a new recycling process that can convert discarded electronic circuit boards into an asphalt “modifier.” The material makes high-performance paving material asphalt that is cheaper, longer lasting, and more environmentally friendly than conventional asphalt.

In the new study, Zhenming Xu and colleagues note that millions of tons of electronic waste pile up each year. The PCBs used in personal computers, cell phones, and other electronic gear, contain toxic metals such as lead and mercury and pose a difficult disposal problem. The boards also are difficult to recycle. Xu’s group, however, realised that the boards, which provide mechanical support and connections for transistors and other electronic components, contain glass fibres and plastic resins that could strengthen asphalt paving.

The scientists describe a new recycling method that quickly separates toxic metals from circuit boards, yielding a fine, metal-free powder. When mixed into asphalt in laboratory tests, the powder produced a stronger paving material less apt to soften at high temperatures, the researchers say.