Recovery of Polymers from Scraps of Electronic

Devices Through Electrostatic Separation and

Injection Moulding Process
Ang, Julius Gervin T.

Avelino, Oliver Jan C.

Electronics Engineering Department

Faculty of Engineering, University of Santo Tomas
Manila, Philippines
juliusang105@gmail.com

Electronics Engineering Department

Faculty of Engineering, University of Santo Tomas
Manila, Philippines
ojcavelino@gmail.com

Dela Paz, Chastine Dianne G.

Ladisla, Joroel Ryle F.

Electronics Engineering Department

Faculty of Engineering, University of Santo Tomas
Manila, Philippines
chastine_dianne04@yahoo.com

Electronics Engineering Department

Faculty of Engineering, University of Santo Tomas
Manila, Philippines
elyr_ladisla@yahoo.com

Abstract Electronic scraps are used or defective materials in

these devices. Earth also has its limits that give unwanted
consequences that affect humans.

our devices that need to be disposed of or recycled in an ecofriendly manner. This study focuses on polymers which are
found in our electronic devices. For instance, the frames and
PCBs (printed circuit board) in our mobile phones are made
from polymers. Considering the economic status here, it would
be very beneficial for all of us since it would be very ecofriendly and at the same time it would costs less. To be able to
extract the polymers present in our devices, a series of methods
must be followed. The first step is to segregate the defective or
used electronic devices by manufacturer or model to be able to
distinguish the types of polymers being used. Next, electrostatic
separation must be done to be able to separate the metals
present in the PCB. Two types of samples will be present:
polymeric frames and the other is a mixture of frames and a
polymeric fraction from the PCBs. After that, these samples
are now subjected to injection moulding. Then, these samples
must be tested (tensile, impact, hardness) by means of
mechanical process. The result will determine if these samples
can still be recycled.
KeywordsPolymers, Electronic Devices, Electrostatic
Separation, Injection Moulding Process

I. INTRODUCTION
There is an enormous growth in the demand for
mobile phones and other electronic devices worldwide. It
leads to the generation of a large volume electronic waste
every year as the devices reach their limit and rendering
them useless. The burden now lies in the current generation,
well in fact, where it started, on how they can secure a
future free from the outnumbering waste. People cannot
forever extract raw materials required for the production of

The main objective of the project is to propose and

implement proper management of electronic waste
particularly, non-functional mobile phones and the like. The
idea is to extract usable materials out of the wastes. A
tactful method of recycling is implemented to these wastes
by considering their unusable parts and reviving the raw
materials used in the production of such devices. As an
example, the project uses a method to extract polymers that
exist in the device, reprocess it and convert it back to a raw
material that can be used in other applications. Considered
factors include the proper segregation of like devices as to
classify the kind of raw material that can be extracted. This
is done with proper research about the nature at which a
particular device is produce. Also, other electronic
components are ensured to be removed or separated from
the desired raw material to avoid possible problems when
these are used in applications. Other systematic process
which involves the sorting of materials present will be
further discuss on the succeeding parts of the paper.
II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Polymer, any of a class of natural or synthetic
substances composed of very large molecules, called
macromolecules that are multiples of simpler chemical units
called monomers. Polymers make up many of the materials
in
living
organisms,
including,
for
example,
proteins, cellulose, and nucleic acids. Moreover, they
constitute the basis of such minerals as diamond, quartz, and

feldspar and such man-made materials as concrete, glass,

paper, plastics, and rubbers.

Figure 1: A conductive type of polymer

Synthetic polymers are produced in different types

of reactions. Many simple hydrocarbons, such as ethylene
and propylene, can be transformed into polymers by adding
one
monomer
after
another
to
the
growing chain. Polyethylene, composed of repeating
ethylene monomers, is an addition polymer. Polyethylene is
crystalline, transluscent, and thermoplastici.e., it softens
when heated. It is used for coatings, packaging, molded
parts,
and
the
manufacture
of
bottles
and
containers. Polypropylene is
also
crystalline
and
thermoplastic but is harder than polyethylene. This
compound is used in the textile industry and to make
molded objects.
Some polymers, such as polystyrene, are glassy
and transparent at room temperature, as well as being
thermoplastic. Polystyrene can be coloured any shade and is
used in the manufacture of toys and other plastic objects. If
one hydrogen atom in ethylene is replaced by a chlorine
atom, vinyl chloride is produced. This polymerizes to
polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a colorless, hard, tough,
thermoplastic material that can be manufactured in a number
of forms, including foams, films, and fibers [1].
The polymers have gained a prominent role, since
they are widely employed for various housings of electronic
component, representing a high percentage by volume of
waste generated by such equipment. The main electronic
components market for polymers is for passive components
which represent around 85% of the number of components
on a typical printed circuit board. Designers of electrical and
electronic components have a wide choice of polymers at
their disposal. Industry studies have shown the most popular
polymers in Europe for electronic and electrical
applications, including wire and cable, to be polyvinyl
chloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE), acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene (ABS), polystyrene (PS) and polypropylene (PP)
[2].
Many polymers can also be used as semiconductor
and as conduction materials in different applications such as
electrostatic discharge protectors, electromagnetic interface
shielding, device like diodes, transistors, lithographic
technology as conducting resistors, metallization, etc. The
application also includes chip capacitor, CD lens support,
land and mobile phone components and receivers,etc [3].

Generally, there is a degradation of the mechanical

properties of polymeric materials and, depending on the
structure, a polymer may be vulnerable to environmental
effects such as heat, oxygen and its active forms, moisture,
air pollutants and ultraviolet radiation. This degradation may
involve changes in chemical structure and physical
properties. Polymeric post-consumer waste will have
suffered some kind of deterioration in their physical and
chemical properties before recycling. These degradation
reactions are usually a result from polymerization,
processing, use and the disposal of polymer.
Even with this potential prior degradation,
mechanical recycling is still the most widely used process. It
consists in the use of post-consumer polymers that are
subjected to procedures that may include some or all of the
following steps: grinding, washing, drying, regrinding
(flakes) or agglutination and reprocessing. This sequence of
processes can lead to degradation of the material, for
example, reducing its molecular weight, since the polymer
chains are subjected to high temperatures, mechanical
stresses, and light, among others.
The degradation by mechanical processing has
proven to cause changes in the rheology and mechanical
properties of polymers such as ABS and HIPS. These
changes may be due to the breakup of the PS phase chain
and changes in the physical structure of the rubber phase.
These polymers undergo physical and chemical changes
during their reprocessing and in their ability to interact with
impurities, which can alter their composition. This change in
composition can change the mechanical properties of
recycled polymers.
Processes involved in recovering polymers from electronic
devices:
1. Electrostatic Separation
Electrostatic Separation is defined as "the selective
sorting of solid species by means of utilizing forces acting
on charged or polarized bodies in an electric field.
Separation is effected by adjusting the electric and coacting
forces, such as gravity or centrifugal force, and the different
trajectories at some predetermined time. Separations made
in air are called Electrostatic Separation. Separations made
using a corona discharge device, are called High Tension
Separations. Separations made in liquids are termed
separation by Dielectrophesis, and if motion is due to
polarization effects in nonuniform electric fields.
Electrostatic separation is important in the
production of minerals, also in the reclamation of other
valuable materials, as well as the cleaning of some food
products. When every effort is being made by process
engineers to make use of all concentrating equipment
available for the recovery of critical minerals and reclaimed
materials, the subject of applied electrostatic separation is of
interest [5].
2. Injection Molding

Most electronic components are produced by

injection molding wherever smaller parts demand ever
tighter molding tolerances and such factors as freedom from
shrinkage, warpage, and water absorption. These constraints
effectively limit the choice of polymers for specific
applications.
Below is the process on how injection molding works.

Figure 3: Removal of scraps from the device

Then, electrostatic separation must be done in the

PCBs to remove the metals. Below is a typical diagram for
electrostatic separation.

Figure 1 Injection molding process

1. Granules of plastic powder are poured or fed into a

hopper which stores it until it is needed.
2. A heater heats up the tube and when it reaches a high
temperature a screw thread starts turning.
3. A motor turns a thread which pushes the granules along
the heater section which melts then into a liquid. The liquid
is forced into a mould where it cools and forms into a shape.
4. The mould then opens and the unit is removed [6].
III. METHODOLOGY
Based on our research, the first step is to gather all
the defective or used electronic devices (laptops, mobile
phones, tablets, desktops) and segregate them by
manufacturer or model to be able to distinguish the types of
polymers being used.
The next step is to remove the scraps present in our
electronic devices that are made from polymers as seen in
figure 3. In this case, these could be frames and PCBs.

Figure 4: A typical diagram of electrostatic separation

In this diagram, the feed is subjected to

electrostatic separation wherein the two substances are
being separated. In the case of our research, the PCB will be
subjected and the two substances that are being separated
here are the polymers and metals present in the board.
Therefore, two types of samples will be left: polymeric
frames and the other is a mixture of frames and a polymeric
fraction from the PCBs.
Next, these samples will be subjected to injection
moulding to create a new product (e.g. gears, frames, DVD
storage unit). And lastly, the new product will be tested
(tensile, impact, hardness) by means of mechanical process.
Below is a sample diagram for plastic injection molding
process and an actual plastic injection molding machine.

electronic device that can be a source for polymers aside

from the ones mentioned in this research paper.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Figure 5: A diagram of plastic injection molding process

Firstly, we would like to express our sincere

gratitude to our instructor Engr. Robert Kerwin Billiones for
giving his support for our research paper, for his patience,
motivation, and immense knowledge. His guidance helped
us in all the time of research and writing of this paper. We
could not have imagined having a better instructor and
mentor for our study.
We would also like to thank our family: our parents
and to our brothers and sisters for the moral support
throughout writing this paper and our life in general.
Most importantly, we would like to thank God for
His obvious guidance as we are enlightened and wellmotivated to use and hone our skills and knowledge.
REFERENCES
[1]
[2]

Figure 6: Plastic Injection Molding Machine

IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Based on the documents given in the review of
related literature, if the processes were done on an electronic
component in a device, there will be polymers that can be
recovered from said component. This is because majority of
electronic components such as semiconductors and passive
components in devices are made from polymers.
Components from any electronic device, especially
old ones, are a great source for recovering polymers.
Recovered polymers can then be used for other applications
like plastic, bottles, etc. However, in order to meet the
supply of polymers needed to create such product, multiple
quantities of electronic components must be used in order to
recover the necessary amount of polymers.
V. CONCLUSION
This research papers goal is to determine if
recovering polymers from electronic devices is possible.
The method presented in this paper was able to provide
enough evidence to suggest that the objective is possible to
achieve. This research paper will give solutions to the ever
growing problem of excess trash with the method of
recycling.
However, this may not be the only method
available for achieving the objective that is recovering
polymers from various electronic devices. For further
research, the researchers recommend to look for other
options that can be used for the recovery of polymers. The
researchers also recommend those who will research further
about this topic to look for other components in an

[3]

[4]

[5]
[6]

Polymer
[Online].
Available:
http://www.britannica.com/science/polymer.
K. Cousins. (2001, July). Polymers for Electronic Components
[Online].
Available:
https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=YgR7y6HgYqQC&pg=PA3&
lpg=PA3&dq#v=onepage&q&f=false.
N. Karak. (2009). Fundamentals of Polymers: Raw Materials to
Finish
Products
[Online].
Available:
https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=dSHlm7ErdwMC&pg=PA126
&lpg=PA126&dq#v=onepage&q&f=false.
H.M. Veit and A.M. Bernardes. (2015). Electronic Waste: Recycling
Techniques
[Online].
Available:
https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=uh_FBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA91
&dq#v=onepage&q&f=false.
Electrostatic
Separation
[Online].
Available:
http://mineengineer.com/mining/minproc/elstat1.htm.
V. Ryan. (2009). Injection Moulding of Plastics [Online]. Available:
http://www.technologystudent.com/equip1/inject1.htm.