Abstract
In this study, we determined the amount of metal in one desktop personal computer (PC) as a case study of electronic and electrical waste (e-waste). Using a three-step process, we dismantled the PC. We then analyzed the metal content of each part. The circuit boards contained 0.794g of Ag, 0.143g of Au, 0.186g of Pd, 91g of Al, 187g of Cu, and 17.8g of Pb. In total, the PC contained 0.79g of Ag, 0.143g of Au, 0.19g of Pd, 420g of Al, 320g of Cu, 7200g of Fe, 77g of Zn, 23g of Nd, and 20g of Pb. We also evaluated the maximum recoverable amount of metal (M-max) from waste PCs in Japan per year and determined that the M-max for Au, Ag and Pd are 1.1, 5.9, and 1.4 t per year, respectively.
