Fate and migration of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in a workshop for waste printed circuit board de-soldering

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are released from the recycling process of PBDE-containing waste printed circuit board (WPCB), but studies on the mechanism of PBDE emission and migration are limited. In this study, PBDE concentrations in particulate matter (PM), dust, and fumes collected in a pilot-scale workshop for the WPCB de-soldering process were measured, and PBDE emission after gas treatment was estimated. The results showed that the mean concentrations of ∑₈PBDEs in TSP and PM_2.5 in the workshop were 20.3 ng/m³ (24.7 μg/g) and 16.1 ng/m³ (115 μg/g), respectively. In practice, the fumes containing gaseous and particulate PBDEs were treated by the combination of alkaline solution absorption and activated carbon adsorption. Compared to PBDE concentration in workshop floor dust (2680 ng/g), PBDE concentrations in solution scum (68,000 ng/g) and hood inside dust (20,200 ng/g) were condensed. The concentrations of ∑₆PBDEs at the stack outlet (416 pg/m³) after gas treatment were lower than those in the stack pipe (1310 pg/m³) and hood inside (7440 pg/m³). The PBDEs in fumes were removed through physical adsorption of alkaline solution and activated carbon, and solution scum constituted the main mass discharges of PBDEs. The emission factor of PBDEs at the stack outlet was 47.3 ng ∑₆PBDEs/kg WPCB. As a result, the WPCB de-soldering process is an important source of PBDE pollution, and gas treatment of solution absorption and activated carbon adsorption can reduce PBDE emission to some extent.