Pyrolysis of waste printed circuit boards: Parametric effects on product distribution, characterization and gas emissions

The efficient and environmentally friendly disposal of waste printed circuit board (WPCB) is of great significance for resource sustainability. This study focuses on the pyrolysis process of WPCB and the comprehensive characterization of the products. Meanwhile, the emission properties of the main gas products in the pyrolysis process of WPCB were investigated in real time. The results of pyrolysis experiments indicated that a solid yield of 79.03% was obtained by pyrolysis at 500 °C for 60 min, and 91.46% of copper and 95.36% of tin were recovered. The gas products mainly consisted of CO, CO2, CH4, H2, and C2H2. The liquid products contained phenols, aromatic hydrocarbons, ketones and furan derivatives. The pyrolysis gas and liquid products might be utilized as the raw material for fuel and other composite materials after purification. The process combines medium-temperature pyrolysis and crushing processes to recover metal fractions and high-value products from WPCB. This provides a solution for the large-scale pyrolysis of electronic waste.