Plastic and Circuit Component Separation by Selective Solvent Recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The integration of plastic and electronic circuit components in products makes recycling challenging, leading to high material loss and environmental impact, necessitating an improved recycling process to separate and reuse these materials effectively.
Innovation Solution
An iterative method involving shredding, solvent mixing, and separation processes to isolate plastic materials and electronic circuit components, allowing for their individual recycling by repeatedly using different solvents to dissolve and recover each plastic type.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If plastic and electronic circuit components are integrated in one product, then product functionality is improved, but material separation and recycling become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated product is divided into separate components through shredding into small particles, enabling subsequent separation of plastic and electronic circuit components that were previously integrated
Solution Approach 2:
A solvent is introduced as an intermediary substance to selectively dissolve the plastic material, separating it from electronic circuit components through differential solubility
2Loss of substance
If different materials are separated from a mix, then material recovery is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Complex mechanical separation processes are replaced with a chemical dissolution approach using solvents, simplifying the overall processing while achieving effective material separation
Solution Approach 2:
The chemical properties of materials are exploited by changing parameters such as solvent selection and dissolution conditions to achieve separation based on differential solubility characteristics
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method effectively separates and recycles plastic and electronic components with minimal loss, enabling their reuse and reducing environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
mixing the plurality of shreds and a first solvent to separate the first plastic material from the shreds, thereby obtaining a first solution of the first plastic material in the first solvent
Data Source
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AI summary
A method (200) for separating compounds of a body (100) is described. The body (100) includes at least two different compounds. The two different compounds include a first compound which includes a first plastic material (110a-110d), and a second compound which is an electronic circuit component (120). The method (200) includes the following steps: shredding (210) the body (100) into a plurality of shreds (150); mixing (220) the plurality of shreds (150) and a first solvent (315) to separate the first plastic material from the shreds (150), thereby obtaining a first solution (258) of the first plastic material (252) in the first solvent (315), and a first residue (254); separating (230) the first solution (258) from the first residue (254), wherein the first residue (254) includes the electronic circuit component (120); recovering (240) the first plastic material (252) from the first solution (258); and providing (250) the first plastic material (252) and the first residue (254) for separate processing.