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Prepare for an E-waste Deluge

Posted February 20, 2014 12:01 PM by Engineering360 eNewsletter

Think electronic waste is a problem only for industrial nations? A new report issued by the UN Solving the E-Waste Problem initiative forecasts a 33% surge in e-waste generationto 65.4 million metric tons by 2017 - with most of the growth coming from developing nations. As reported in EurekAlert, this waste volume represents "the weight equivalent of almost 200 Empire State Buildings or 11 Great Pyramids of Giza." The findings should bolster more effective management and recycling policies. An interactive map depicts trends in regional and national generation of e-waste, defined as anything with a battery or electrical cord.

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Yusef1
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Ottawa Canada
Posts: 1975
Good Answers: 117
#1

Re: Prepare for an E-waste Deluge

02/21/2014 12:19 AM

Well, we can simply send it all to China where they will dismantle the stuff, pack the chips into packages, and sell them back to us.

Solution....process the e waste in the country. Destroy all the chips in a shredder. How hard can that be? Oh right....we get a higher price for unshredded E waste. Why is THAT do you think?

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WoodwardDL
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Anthem, AZ
Posts: 392
Good Answers: 8
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Re: Prepare for an E-waste Deluge

02/21/2014 12:25 PM

I am pretty sure that a plasma gasification system could destroy this stuff after it is crushed and shredded. Such systems create a "slag" of inert solid that can be used in pavers, or buried in landfills (for regular household waste, the volume is 1% of original!). If a GE turbine is connected, these systems will also generate electricity in excess of that required to power the torch!

Such a system is running in Oregon. You can BING Waste Management Plasma Gasification to learn about that installation.
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