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Selective separation of plastic LED lamp components using electrodynamic fragmentation for material recovery
Lotfi Benmamas1, Youcef Bouzidi2, Guy Houset3
1Interdisciplinary Research on Society-Technology-Environment Interactions (InSyTE), Université de Technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, CS 42060, 10004 Troyes, France; Lumière Nanomatériaux et Nanotechnologie (L2n), CNRS ERL 7004, Université de Technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, CS 42060, 10004 Troyes, France; ARTEMISE Recyclage, 1 ZAE des Joncs, 10160 Vulaines, France.
High voltage electric-pulse fragmentation effectively recycles light-emitting diode (LED) lamps. This method recovers valuable components like LED chips and printed circuit boards with minimal energy, boosting recycling rates.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Environmental Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
Background:
- Light-emitting diode (LED) technology is increasingly dominant due to its energy efficiency.
- Effective recycling methods are crucial for managing the growing volume of discarded LED lamps and tubes.
- Current recycling processes face challenges in efficiently separating complex components.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate high voltage electric-pulse fragmentation for recovering elementary components from LED lamps.
- To determine the minimal specific energy required for component separation.
- To assess the mass recycling rate and commercial value of recovered materials from E27 LED lamps.
Main Methods:
- Electrodynamic fragmentation using high voltage electric pulses applied to LED lamps immersed in water.
- Laboratory-scale reactor testing on over 150 E27 plastic-bulb LED lamps.
- Analysis of energy consumption and component separation efficiency without grinding pretreatment.
Main Results:
- Achieved 64% component separation with an estimated energy consumption of 5.2 ± 0.6 kWh per ton.
- Attained a mass recycling rate of 74% for the tested LED lamps.
- Estimated commercial value of recovered materials, with gold accounting for 83.6% of the total value despite being 0.03% of the mass.
Conclusions:
- High voltage electric-pulse fragmentation is a viable technology for efficient LED lamp recycling.
- The process demonstrates potential for high recovery rates and valuable material extraction.
- Optimizing disassembly capacity is key to enhancing the overall recycling efficiency of LED lamps and tubes.
