July, 2014
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Understanding Management of Solder Waste... Continued from previous page
term that, applied to solder recyclers, requires recyclers to recycle only those materials with significant concentra- tions of recoverable materials, defined as 2 to 4 percent recoverable value per 73 FR 64702. Solder-contaminated wastes are generally very low in recov- erable metals, and are only accepted by recyclers if they are known to con- tain the minimum threshold set by the regulations. These materials are generally not suitable to be burned as fuel and, therefore, electronic waste generators are required to either send the materials to a recycler for metal recovery, or to a hazardous waste landfill or other treatment facility. Because of the “Legitimate
Recycling Standard” position paper drafted by the EPA, recyclers have only two options when dealing with this type of material: they must recover the contained metals and use them as an effective substitute for a commercial product or as ingredients
Solder-contaminated
wastes are generally very low in recoverable metals, and are only accepted by recyclers if they are known to contain the minimum threshold set by the regulations.
or intermediate materials in an industrial process. Until recently, most such waste material was burned in a furnace, with metal content recovered. Simply put, recovering metal from such materials is costly, inefficient, and produces large quan- tities of greenhouse gasses, And if feed materials aren’t periodically monitored and sampled for metal con- tent, it can also be illegal.
New Technology For Compliance
Because of the nature of pyro -
met allurgical processes, in particular the conversion of solder dross and metallic oxides into refined metal products, oxidized metal requires a reagent to react with the oxygen. In many cases, these reagents are car- bon-rich petroleum products, such as coke, which react with oxygen and convert the metal oxides into metal, producing carbon dioxide as a byprod- uct that is discharged into the air. As a recyclable material, Paste
& Wipes pose several problems, in addition to determining whether they contain enough metal for prac- tical recycling. First, there is an environmental impact because they are burned to recover the metal con- tent, releasing most of their weight in the form of carbon dioxide. This places pressure on recyclers regard- ing air permits, and the inefficiency of the recycling process, since such a small fraction of the material is actu- ally recycled. These materials are also light in weight, and the heat of a furnace can often produce hot embers which can damage emission control equipment such as bag hous- es. Even with cutting-edge ember- suppression technology, processing this material can pose a threat to recyclers. Until now, recycling sol- der-contaminated trash has been a costly and inefficient process. Last year, Conecsus developed
an innovative process to recycle Paste & Wipes, with results that
aSPIre 2 from Koh Young America delivers 100% 3D Inspection of solder paste with unmatched speed and accuracy, for zero defect manufacturing goals;
Koh Young Technology, the global leader in patented true 3D AOI and SPI inspection systems, continues to develop best-in-class technology solutions to meet the emerging challenges of PCB design and assembly:
Koh Young’s Zenith 3D AOI inspection eliminates false calls, escapes, shadowing, specular problems, and helps you optimize your process;
surpassed all expectations. The process helped to not only exponen- tially reduce the risk of bag house fires, it allows full reuse of solder- contaminated waste in a manner that positively impacts carbon diox- ide emissions, reduced dependence on petroleum carbon sources, and allowed the receipt of Paste & Wipes as an exempt material, without using a hazardous waste transporter or manifest. As a result, Conecsus can receive Paste & Wipes in the same way it received solder dross, oxides, and other recyclable electron- ic waste materials This patent-pending technology
T
allows generators of electronic waste to send their solder-contaminated waste to Conecsus as a reagent replacement rather than as a haz-
ardous waste and, as a result, reduce the amount of hazardous waste that they generate. Such materials no longer need be reported as haz- ardous waste, possibly resulting in a facility’s change of status from Large Quantity or Small Quantity genera- tor to a Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity generator. This would allow a facility to ship a much wider array of waste streams without the problems and liabilities of managing hazardous wastes. In conclusion, using a recycler in
a state that has adopted the 2008/2011 DSW rules does not reduce the amount of overall reportable waste, and is very likely to be non-compliant with most states’ laws, where using a recycler with this technology is guaranteed to be legal in nearly all states, using their
Page 55
own statutes, will avoid using expen- sive hazardous waste carriers, and finally, will lower your overall reportable waste. The overall econom- ic impact of this technology, for gener- ators, is profound because generators can legally forego the use of hazardous waste transporters or manifests, and they can combine shipments of dross with Contaminated Trash. Not only does it reduce the generator’s carbon footprint through reuse of their waste, it also may allow generators that are on the lower end of a generator status level drop down to a lower level, lower- ing their overall waste costs across all of their waste streams. Contact: Conecus LLC, 106
Tejas Drive, Terrell, TX 75160 % 855-846-5323 or 972-551-5900 fax: 972-551-5901 E-mail:
pruth@conecsusllc.com Web:
www.conecsusllc.com r
The new KY8030-3 3D SPI system features a new hardware platform for greater robustness and reliability, plus the latest KY software platform, more powerful and with greater functionality, a true color display, and foreign material inspection.
Visit
www.Kohyoung.com Today to Learn More
See at SEMICON West, Booth 5544
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