Brominated flame retardants in WEEE: examination of the bromine concentration by plastic types and device categories using X-ray fluorescence | Bromierte Flammschutzmittel in Elektroaltgeräten: Untersuchung der Brom-Konzentration nach Kunststofftypen und Gerätekategorien mittels Röntgenfluoreszenzanalyse
2020
Jandric, Aleksander | Part, Florian | Fink, Niklas | Huber-Humer, Marion | Salhofer, Stefan | Zafiu, Christian
Plastics in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) often contain brominated flame retardants (BFRs), which can be unintentionally released and can have a negative impact on the environment and health. In addition, BFR reduce the quality of recycled materials, whereby limit values according to the RoHS Directive (1000 ppm per BRF type) and the Ordinance on Waste Treatment Obligations (AbfBPV) (2000 ppm total bromine content) must be monitored. For this study, 467 devices were selected from 11 different WEEE categories, from which a total of 1008 plastic samples were taken. The plastic types were identified using visual screening of the recycling code and FTIR spectroscopy. Portable X‑ray fluorescence (pXRF) was used to determine the total bromine content. In the WEEE analysed, 27 different plastic types were identified, with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) being the most common type (42%). The XRF measurements showed that bromine was detected in 33% of all samples. The average bromine content was approx. 240 ppm. The RoHS limit value was exceeded in 18% of all samples from printer power supply units, 10% from PC housings, and 9% from flat screen monitors. Neither the RoHS nor the AbfBPV limit value was exceeded in electric toothbrushes, mobile phones (without touch screens), smartphones and various small devices. Such WEEE plastics would therefore be better suited for recycling. As XRF is a cost-effective and very fast analytical method, it could become suitable for excluding plastics with a high bromine content directly at the point of production.
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