Evaluation of end-of-line treatment alternatives for electronic waste by means of material characterization of mobile phones.

Recycling is an alternative to decrease the amount of electronic scraps produced from the final life cycle of electronic appliances, such as mobile phones. This work analyses different mobile phones regarding polymers in mobile phone housings and metals, i.e., Cu, Au, Ag and Sn in the printed circuit boards (PCBs). The preliminary results indicate significant differences in metal concentrations in PCBs. Housings are composed mainly of polycarbonate (PC) and polycarbonate blends (PC/ABS).