Wasted printed wiring boards (PWB) were pulverized by a newly developed impact mill for the recovery of valuable materials such as copper, epoxy resin and glass fibers. Influences of operating conditions such as the loaded amount of PWB, the number of impactions
N were investigated in relation to the size distribution and the copper contents of pulverized PWB classified according to size and density. The effect of pretreatment of PWB was also discussed.
Mass mean diameter of particulate products decreased with
N. Geometry of copper particles was flaky and their thickness was reduced with decrease in the particle size. The peak size of copper content decreased with
N. The degree of copper liberation, α, increased with
N and there existed a maximum value while that of resin and glass fiber is almost constant, corresponding to the agglomeration of copper and other particles. “α” had its maximum for particles of 200-300mm. The pre-compression of PWB could increase the milling efficiency because many cracks developed on the copper foil and between the copper foil and fiber reinforced resin.
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