Characterization of solid, liquid and gaseous products from waste printed circuit board pyrolysis

Abstract After metal recovery, the non-metallic fraction of waste printed circuit board (WPCB) could still be valuable. It is rich in organic polymer and inorganics which could be a source of chemicals and fuel. In this study, WPCB was pyrolyzed under different conditions and solid, liquid and gaseous products were collected and characterized in details. The resultant solid products were powdered, low in porosity but rich in surface functionals groups. Organics in original WPCB were charred and glass fibers was able to maintained its cylindrical configuration. Pyrolysis at 550 °C for 1 h led to the highest yield of liquid which was predominated with phenol and alkylated phenols. Brominated organics were also found in oil though their presence and composition varied with pyrolysis temperature. Gaseous products were mainly composed of CO2, CH4 and H2. Based on the compositions of pyrolysis products, pathways of WPCB disintegration were proposed.