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Eddy Current Separation of Metals from E-wastes

Conference Paper · January 2010

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 B19

PROCEEDINGS
OF THE
XIIth INTERNATIONAL MINERAL
PROCESSING SYMPOSIUM
6-8 OCTOBER 2010, CAPPADOCIA-NEVùEHøR, TURKEY

Edited by
Özcan Y. GÜLSOY, ù. Levent ERGÜN, N.Metin CAN and ølkay B.ÇELøK
Hacettepe University, Department of Mining Engineering
Eddy Current Separation of Metals from E-wastes
(<<D]ÕFÕ5<D]ÕFÕ+'HYHFLø$OS
Dept. of Mining Engineering, Karadeniz Technical University, 61080, Trabzon, Turkey
R. Greenway
Eriez Magnetics Europe Ltd., Bedwas House Industrial Estate, Bedwas, Caerphilly CF83 8YG,
United Kingdom 26438532

ABSTRACT: In this study, separation of metals from waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) by
eddy current separation was investigated. Size reduced PCBs (-8 mm) were subjected to a two-
stage magnetic separation for the removal of ferromagnetic materials, Fe in particular, prior to
eddy current separation. The results showed that 19.6% of PCB waste was recovered into the
magnetic fraction, which removed ~86% of iron (Fe). Eddy current separation process was able
to produce a non-ferrous product containing 54.7% at the expense of metal losses (~30%) into
the non-metal fraction. These metal losses could be due to the low efficiency of eddy current
separation for reclaiming the metals from fine fractions.

INTRODUCTION
In recent years, there has been a drastic increase in the production and consumption of
electrical-electronic equipments (Kang and Schoenung 2005; Widmer et al., 2005). The
number of personal computers (PC) per person increased by 96-1052% in different countries
over the period of 1993-2000 (Anonymous, 2009). On the contrary, the life span of most
electrical-electronic equipments tends to decrease e.g. the life span of a PC decreased from 4.5
to 2-3 years (1992-2005) (Modesitt and Gilbert, 2005) and that of CPU from 4-6 to 2 years
(1997-2005) (Culver, 2005). End-of-life electrical-electronic equipments and materials
(computers, mobile phones, printed circuit boards etc.) become waste to be disposed of and are
termed as electronic waste (e-waste or WEEE). Electronic wastes (e-wastes) are heterogeneous
and complex in terms of material composition and metal-nonmetal associations.
E-waste, the most rapidly growing waste stream in Europe, contain metallic/non-metallic
hazardous materials (Pb, Cd, flame retardants etc.), which may pose environmental threat when
incinerated or disposed of in landfills together with municipal wastes (Bertram et al. 2002;
<D]ÕFÕHWDO,QUHFHQW\HDUVWKHUHJXODWLRQVKDYHDOVREHHQLQWURGXFHGWROLPLWWKHXVH
of hazardous materials in electrical-electronic equipment production (EC, 2003a) and control
the management of e-waste via recycling (EC, 2003b) by European Union. Other countries
(USA, Japan etc.) including Turkey (Ministry of Environment and Forestry (2008a and 2008b)
also issue regulations on e-waste management (Widmer et al., 2005). Printed circuit boards
(PCBs), in particular, of e-wastes can offer noticeable economic value due to its high
base/precious metal (Cu, Au, Ag etc.) content when compared with ores. A computer printed
circuit board contains about 20% Cu (200 kg/ton) and 0.025% Au (250 g/ton), which are
significantly high i.e. 25 to 250-fold for gold and 20 to 40-fold for copper when compared with
gold (~1-10 g/ton Au) and copper ores (~0.5-1% Cu), respectively (Hagelüken, 2006). In this
regard, treatment of e-wastes has drawn attention for economic, environmental and regulatory
considerations.
There are potential physical, hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical methods available
for the recovery of metals from e-wastes. Physical separation methods including eddy current

1207
separation can be readily exploited for the recovery of metals from e-wastes due to their
VLPSOLFLW\DQGFRVWHIIHFWLYHQDWXUH$NoLOHWDO<D]ÕFÕDQG'HYHFL(GG\FXUUHQW
separation, in fact, has been widely used for the recovery of non-ferrous metals (Al in
particular) from scrap materials e.g. car scrap and municipal solid waste, since 1970’s. Eddy
current separation is reported to be an efficient method relatively at coarse particle sizes (>5
mm) (Zhang and Forssberg, 1998; Settimo et al., 2004). Some researchers were investigated
the separation of metals from metallic wastes including e-wastes by eddy current separation
(Çelik, 2007; Lungu, 2009; Zhang et al., 1998, 1999a). Zhang et al. (1998) obtained high grade
(>85%) aluminium alloy particles (+7 mm) from PC/PCB scrap with recoveries in excess of
90% by eddy current separation. Zhang et al. (1999b) investigated the separation of aluminium
(Al) and copper (Cu) from waste PCBs (-10 mm) using an eddy current separator and reported
that metallic products with wide range of recoveries i.e. ~48-98% can be obtained by different
type of eddy current separators. Meier-Staude et al. (2002) suggested a new separator design
for eddy current separation. They claimed feeding the material at the lower part of the magnetic
drum, contributes more selective separation of Al from a mixture of Al-Cu wires.
In this study, separation of metals from waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) by eddy
current separation was investigated. Removal of ferromagnetic metals i.e. iron (Fe) by two-
stage magnetic separation was also studied prior to eddy current separation.

A Brief Theory of Eddy Current Separation

An alternating magnetic field produces “eddy currents”, which induce a magnetic field
inside/around the conductive particles i.e. metals. This secondary magnetic field reacts with the
magnetic field of the rotor, resulting in the formation of a repulsive force, called Lorenz force,
which repels/deflects the conducting particles away from the material flow. Non-conductors,
such as plastics, move under the combined effect of gravitational, centrifugal and frictional
forces without being affected by repulsive force (Lungu, 2009; Zhang et al., 1998). A typical
drum type eddy current separator can be seen in Fig. 1. Eddy current separators can operate
mainly in two modes based on the rotation direction of magnetic rotor i.e. in the same direction
as the head drum (forward mode) or vice versa (backward mode) (Fig. 1). The most important
factors determining the deflection behaviour of a material are shape, size and deflection
coefficient of a particle. The deflection coefficient is the ratio of electrical conductivity/specific
density (V/U) of a conductive material. The higher the deflection coefficient of a metal, the
higher is the repulsive force (Lorentz force) exerted on the particle, which leads to a better
separation. Hence, non-ferrous metals of low-density such as aluminium (Al) have high
amenability to eddy current separation (Table 1). Given that the deflection coefficient of Al is
higher (~2 fold) than Cu, low repulsion force is induced on a copper particle compared with an
aluminium particle of the same size. Particle size and shape also play important role on the
deflection behaviour of metals. The increase in the particle size of a metal results in an
increased repulsive force on it. Plate-like shape generates much higher deflections than sphere-
like shape (Zhang et al., 1999b).

1208
Figure 1. Separation of non-ferrous metals by an eddy current separator (1:
trajectory of non-metals, 2: trajectory of non-ferrous metals; Rotation directions
for magnetic rotor; A: backward, B: forward mode) (adapted from FEMP, 2008)

7DEOH'HIOHFWLRQFRHIILFLHQWVIRUPHWDOVPDWHULDOV)(03<D]ÕFÕDQG'HYHFL
2009)

Electical Conductivity/Density (V/U) 10 . M /:.kg

3 2
Metal/Material
Aluminium (Al) 13.0
Copper (Cu) 6.7
Silver (Ag) 6.0
Zinc (Zn) 2.4
Gold (Au) 2.1
Tin (Sn) 1.2
Iron (Fe) 1.2
Lead (Pb) 0.45
Glass 0.00
Plastics 0.00
ı (OHFWULFDOFRQGXFWLYLW\[6ȍ-1m-1
ȡ 'HQVLW\[3 kg/m3

EXPERIMENTAL
Material and Methods
Waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) were obtained from end-of-life computers of various
brands. PCB components were removed prior to size reduction of the material by a rotary
cutting shredder. PCBs reduced to -8 mm in size were used in experimental studies. Particle
size distribution of the sample material (~500 g) was analysed (d80= -4.48 mm) by dry sieving
(Fig. 2). Separation tests were carried out at the laboratories of Eriez Magnetics Europe Ltd.
(UK). Flowsheet for the separation tests is illustrated in Fig. 3. Two-stage magnetic separation
was employed for the removal of magnetic materials. PCBs (~3 kg) were first fed to a drum
type ferrite magnetic separator (Eriez® Model FR) to remove ferromagnetic materials. The
non-magnetic fraction produced from the previous separation was then fed to a drum type rare
earth magnetic separator (Eriez® Model RR) for the removal of weakly magnetic fraction. The
non-magnetic fraction of the second stage of magnetic separation was subjected to eddy current
separation using an Eriez® Model RevX-S eddy current separator (reverse rotor setting i.e.
backward mode. Operating conditions for magnetic and eddy current separators are shown in

1209
Table 2. Products obtained from the separation tests i.e. magnetics-1, magnetics-2, non-ferrous
metals and non-metals (Fig. 3), were sampled. These samples were ground in a tema mill prior
to wet chemical analysis by hot aqua regia digestion. Following the filtration, the leachate was
analysed for metals (Cu, Al and Fe) by atomic absorbtion spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer
AAnalyst 400).
100

Cumulative Undersize (%)

80

60

40

20

0.1 1 10

Particle Size (mm)

(a) (b)
Figure 2. Photograph (a), sieve analysis (b) of size reduced PCBs (-8 mm)

Figure 3. Flowsheet of the magnetic and eddy current separation tests

1210
 Table 2. Operating conditions for magnetic and eddy current separation tests
Equipment Drum Speed Belt speed Rotor speed Magnetic Field
(m/min) (m/min) (rpm) (Tesla)
Ferrite magnetic
separator
68 - - 0.18
Rare earth magnetic
separator
70 - - 0.45
Eddy current separator - 56 3000 -

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Magnetic Separation Tests
Magnetic materials can be removed prior to recovery of non-ferrous metals by eddy
current separation. In the current study, the first stage magnetic separator was used for the
removal of ferromagnetic materials and the second separator was for the weakly magnetic
materials (Fig. 4). The results have shown that, a majority of iron (i.e. ~84%) in the PCBs was
removed in the first stage of magnetic separation (Fig. 4 and 5). Cumulative recovery for iron
(Fe) after two-stage magnetic separation process was ~86% (Fig. 5).

Figure 4. Removal of iron by two-stage magnetic separation (1 and 2 were

determined based on unit feed and head, respectively)

1211
 100 100

80 80
Grade (%)
60 Unit Recovery (%) 60
Overall Recovery (%)
40 40

20 20

0 0
Magnetics-1 Magnetics-2 Non-ferrous Non-metals
metals
Products

Figure 5. Grade and recovery ratios of iron (Fe) in products

These findings suggest that iron can be separated, to a large extent, ahead of eddy current
separation. Iron in non-magnetic fraction (non-magnetics-2) mainly reported to the non-
metallic product of the eddy current separator. Iron losses could be attributed to the fine iron
particles in non-magnetic fraction in view of the inherent ineffectiveness of dry magnetic
separation for recovery of fine particles.

Eddy Current Separation Tests

Eddy current separation tests indicated that a non-ferrous product with a total metal
content ~55% could be produced at a recovery of ~70% (Fig. 6). This corresponded to a high
metal loss (~30%) into non-metal fraction, which still contained 28% metal. There appear to be
several parameters (i.e. particle size/shape, particle collisions, particle conductivity/density
ratio, mode of operation etc.) that affect the efficiency of eddy current separation. Higher
grades/recoveries (>80%) for metals (Al and Cu in particular) were reported by some
researchers (Zhang et al., 1998; Lungu, 2009) who used the coarse fractions (>2-7 mm) in the
eddy current separation tests. Zhang et al. (1999c) investigated the parameters affecting the
eddy current separation of metals (Al, Cu, Zn) in different sizes/shapes. They reported that
metal particles in different size, shape and conductivity/density ratios cannot be separated
effectively. The inherently heterogeneous composition of PCBs i.e. metal alloys, metal-plastic
inter-particle associations and diversity in particle shapes (e.g. needle, flaky) could also
adversely affect the efficiency of separation of metals by eddy current separation. Maraspin et
al. (2004) also found that particle size, conductivity and initial orientation (position of the
particle) of a metal were the most important parameters affecting the separation process.
Despite the fact that practical size limit for eddy current separation was reported as 5 mm,
some studies (Lungu, 2009; Zhang et al., 1999b) have shown that eddy current separators can
achieve high separation levels at -5 mm particle size. It should be noted that high degree of
liberation (>90-95%) for metals including copper in printed circuit boards could be achieved
only at fine particle sizes (<~1-2 mm) (Li et al., 2007; Zhao et al., 2004; Zhang et al. 1997;
<D]ÕFÕDQG'HYHFL3DUWLFOHVKDSHLVDOVRRILPSRUWDQFHIRUVHSDUDWLRQHIILFLHQF\LQWKDW
sphere-like particles are less affected by repulsive forces than plate-like particles (Zhang et al.,
1999c). Çelik (2007) reported ineffective separation of copper wires even at coarse particle size

1212
i.e. -20 mm, by eddy current separator. He attributed this to insufficient surface area of copper
wires resulting in the formation of no repulsive forces.

Figure 6. Eddy current separation of metals (1 and 2 were determined based on unit
feed and head, respectively)

Zhang et al. (1999b) tested different type of eddy current separators and concluded that the
rotation mode of head drum i.e. in the same direction as the head drum (forward) or vice versa
(backward), play a significant role on the separation process (i.e. up to 25% higher metal (e.g.
Al and Cu) recovery within a backward mode of operation). It should be noted that the eddy
current separator used in the current study operates within a reverse rotor setting (backward
mode). In addition to the mode of operation, particle-particle interactions can also play
important role on the behaviour of non-ferrous metals (Maraspin et al., 2004; Zhang et al.,
1999c). Maraspin et al. (2004) claimed that the collisions (i.e. particle-particle interactions)
increase with increasing the feed rate, which in turn leads to an increased randomness of the
movement of a non-ferrous particle during the separation process. Fine material is also
expected to increase the particle-particle interactions, leading to a low separation efficiency.
Rem et al. (2000) demonstrated that wet eddy current separation provided better grades and
recoveries i.e. >97% for Al and Cu. They also tested the separation of fine copper wires
(diameter: 0.5 mm, length: 2 mm) and obtained a copper product with a high recovery of
>80%. In a similar manner, Settimo et al. (2004) suggested feeding the material (-6 +2 mm) to
eddy current separator as pre-wetted (with a typical moisture content of 10-15%) improves the
separation efficiency. It can be inferred from these studies (Maraspin et al., 2004; Settimo et
al., 2004) that removal of fine particles and pre-wetting of the feed prior to eddy current
separation could enhance the recovery of non-ferrous metals.

CONCLUSIONS
This study has shown that ~86% of iron could be removed as a magnetic fraction from
waste PCBs in a two-stage magnetic separation process. Eddy current separation tests on the

1213
non magnetic fraction indicated that only 70% of metals could be recovered as a non-ferrous
fraction. High metal losses could be attributed to the reduced effectiveness of eddy current
separation for the fine fractions and to the inherent heterogeneity of PCBs. These findings
suggest that metal losses be taken into account if the magnetic and eddy current separation
methods are exploited for e-wastes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to express their sincere thanks and appreciations to the Research
)RXQGDWLRQRI.DUDGHQL]7HFKQLFDO8QLYHUVLW\3URMHFWQRDQG7KH6FLHQWL¿F
and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) (Project no: 109M111) for their
support, and to Eriez Magnetics Europe Ltd. (UK) for providing laboratory facilites for the
testwork.

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