Abstract
Despite increasing pressure to reduce the consumption of critical resources, a number of highly relevant elements are still not being recycled from electronics, or only in the few applications, where they are used in bigger units. In high volume products and particular mobile products such as smartphones the content of these materials is low per unit, but still a large quantity when multiplied with millions of units shipped per year. The sustainably SMART projects explores the option to separate components containing tantalum, neodymium and tungsten from disassembled smartphones as these metals are lost in conventional electronics waste recycling processes. In this paper the target components are tantalum capacitors, loudspeakers, and vibration motors. Example quantities per device are explored and mirrored against current and potential recycling processes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Apple (2019) Environmental responsibility report https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/Apple_Environmental_Responsibility_Report_2019.pdf
Böni H, Wäger P, Figi R (2015) Rückgewinnung von kritischen Metallen wie Indium und Neodym aus Elektronikschrott am Beispiel von Indium und Neodym, Schlussbericht, p 10
Burkhardt C (2019) OBE Ohnmacht und Baumgärtner GmbH & Co. Berlin, KG, Personal Interview
Chancerel P, Meskers CEM, Hagelüken C, Rotter VS (2009) Assessment of precious metal flows during preprocessing of waste electrical and electronic equipment. J Ind Ecol 13(5):791–810
Gilerman R (2019) Tantalum recycling. Personal Interview, Berlin
Gille G, Meier A (2012) Recycling von Refraktärmetallen. In: Thomé-Kozmiensky KJ, Goldmann D (eds) Recycling und Rohstoffe-Band 5. TK Verlag, Neuruppin, pp 537–560
Graedel TE, Allwood J, Birat J-P, Buchert M, Hagelüken C, Reck BK, Sibley SF, Sonnemann, G (2011) What do we know about metal recycling rates? J Indus Ecol 15(3)
ITIA (2011) International tungsten industry association information on tungsten: sources, properties and uses, https://www.itia.info/tungsten-concentrates.html
Kingsnorth D (2012) Rare earth supply security: dream or possibility? Curtin University and Industrial Minerals Company of Australia PTY Ltd
Luidold S (2017) Herausforderungen beim Recycling wolframhaltiger Schrotte, In: Recycling und Rohstoffe-Band 10, TK Verlag, Neuruppin, p 3
Lutz F (2010) Die künftige Verfügbarkeit knapper, strategisch wichtiger Metalle, Bonn, p 17
Marscheider-Weidemann F, Langkau S, Hummen T, Erdmann L, Tercero Espinoza L, Angerer G, Marwede M, Benecke S (2016) Rohstoffe für Zukunftstechnologien, DERA-Rohstoffinformationen 28, Berlin
Mühlbauer G (2018) Wolfram Bergbau und Hütten AG, Personal Interview, Berlin
Neumann M (2018) Nickelhütte Aue GmbH, Personal Interview Berlin
Ökoinstitut e.V. (2011) Hintergrundpapier Seltene Erden, Berlin
Reichl C, Schatz M, Zsak G (2016) World-Mining-Data, Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research, and Economy, Vienna http://www.wmc.org.pl/sites/default/files/WMD2016.pdf
Statista (2019) https://de.statista.com/themen/581/smartphones/
USGS (2014) Tungsten, minerals yearbook, United States Geological Survey https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/prd-wret/assets/palladium/production/mineral-pubs/tungsten/myb1-2014-tungs.pdf
USGS (2016) Tungsten, mineral commodity summaries United States Geological Survey https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/prd-wret/assets/palladium/production/mineral-pubs/tungsten/mcs-2016-tungs.pdf
USGS (2019) Tungsten mineral commodity summaries https://prd-wret.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/atoms/files/mcs-2019-tungs.pdf
Willersen C (2016) Reactive extraction and critical raw materials: industrial recovery of Tungsten http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cite.201600079/epdf
Wölbert C (2016) Der Weg des Schrotts, Elektroschrott: Was recycelt wird—und was nicht, c’t, 14/2016, p 76
Acknowledgements
The project sustainably SMART has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 680640.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Nissen, N.F., Reinhold, J., Schischke, K., Klaus-Dieter-Lang (2021). Recyclability of Tungsten, Tantalum and Neodymium from Smartphones. In: Kishita, Y., Matsumoto, M., Inoue, M., Fukushige, S. (eds) EcoDesign and Sustainability I. Sustainable Production, Life Cycle Engineering and Management. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6779-7_26
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6779-7_26
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-15-6778-0
Online ISBN: 978-981-15-6779-7
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)