PC Shredding

Printed circuit boards may only be shredded in a rotary cutter if the particularly hazardous components have previously been removed. After shredding, a magnetic separator is used to remove ferrous components. The remaining fraction is further shredded to a fine granulate. Plastics are then removed with an air classifier. The ferrous metals are separated from non-ferrous ones in a magnetic separator. An eddy current separator is used for fine separation of non-ferrous metals, which are then fractionated in sinkfloat separators. Since printed circuit boards often contain problematic halogenated flame retardants, the non-recyclable baseplate materials must be incinerated in suitable plants.

Source: Umicore

CRT’s from PC monitors are separated in Switzerland in panel glass (barium-strontium-glass), funnel glass (lead-oxid) and metals. The glass fractions are exported to Germany, where they are reused as raw materials in the glass foundation for the production of new CRT’s. The separation of the two glass fractions is realized by scoring the surface and subsequently splitting the two components by a heating wire. The funnel glass is deliberated from iron-oxide and graphite coating, ground and melted for the production of new funnel glass. The panel glass is separated from the steely shadow mask and the phosphor screen is exhausted before its ground and melted in a furnace.