E-Waste

E-waste Dismantling Equipment Required for a Dismantler Business

E-waste recycling involves the collection, segregation, dismantling, recycling of usable parts and, finally, the eco-friendly disposal of non-recyclable components. However, e-waste dismantling is the most important of these steps in terms of profitability and the skills required. Dismantling is one of the most profitable options in the e-waste management business, which has shown tremendous growth in recent years in India. Dismantling collected e-waste is the 1st stage toward recovery of usable components from it. Other stages are extracting precious metals, separating hazardous waste from non-hazardous waste and safely salvaging functional parts.

E-waste dismantling includes decontamination of waste to render it non-hazardous by separating hazardous components and materials. Some of the components contain hazardous elements and must not be dismantled further. Electronic components like Hg switches, Poly Chlorinated Biphenyl (PCBs) etc. can be recovered and sent to Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facilities (TSDFs) for further processing. All of this depends on how effectively the entire process is performed and what e-waste dismantling equipment is used. This article will teach you about the equipment required for a dismantling business. Furthermore, the article will also elaborate on which equipment will be the most suitable for a particular type of dismantling business.

Process of E-waste Dismantling

Before knowing about the required e-waste dismantling equipment, understand the general process involved. There are three approaches when it comes toe-waste dismantling. These approaches are manual dismantling, mechanised/ automatic dismantling and a mix of these two.

Manual dismantling

Manual operations using equipment and special workbenches can be carried out over the dismantling table. Structural requirements in case of manual dismantling include –

Suction hoods: The de dusting system must consist of suction hoods over the dismantling table connected with a cyclone and bag filter. The hood must be vented through a chimney of three-meter height above roof level. This is necessary to maintain desirable work zone air quality.

Collection boxes with adequate capacity in sufficient numbers should be placed near the dismantling table to keep the dismantled components.

Furthermore, the workers involved in the dismantling operation should have the proper e-waste dismantling equipment, which can be the following –

• Screwdriver
• Wire cutters
• Power screwdriver
• Hammer
• Angle grinder
• Scraper
• Flat nose plier
• Socket wrench sets with bits
• Cotton pin drive
• Bit set

Safety Equipment Required

• Safety shoes/ gumboots
• Safety gloves
• Shin guards
• Leather sleeve
• Face masks
• Protective overall

Components recovered through Manual Dismantling

• Recovered components from TV sets and screens, including cables, power plugs, glass panels, glass funnel, copper wires, printed circuit boards, TV casing, etc.
• Recovered PC components include motherboards, graphic cards, network cables, microprocessors, RAM, aluminium heatsinks, hard drives, cables, connectors, power units, steel, copper and aluminium scraps, PC casing, etc.

Mechanised dismantling

Breaking the e-waste in a controlled manner through machines is needed when the waste components are hazardous and volatile or the process is time-consuming and dangerous. Therefore, the e-waste dismantling equipment used here are complex large-fixed automatic installations. Some of the e-waste dismantled through this technique are lamps, fluorescent tubes, PCBs etc. Recycling these types of wastes is automatic, as removing the hazardous substances requires fully encapsulated systems. The e-waste,in this case, contains hazardous substances like mercury, fluorescent powder, and valuable non-hazardous fractions of glass, aluminium steel and plastics.

E-Waste Dismantling Equipment used in mechanised dismantling

• PCB Dismantling Machine: for separating precious metals from PCB
• Electronic Component Screening Machine: used to disassemble solid components such as electronic components and small capacitors
• Cable Stripping Machine: for stripping coating of plastic and rubber from wires
• Photo-oxygen Catalytic Gas Purifier: for purifying air emissions with hydrogen sulfide, styrene, sulfur, VOC, molecular chain structure of benzene, toluene, organic or inorganic polymer odorous compounds etc.
• Pulse Dust Collector: E-Waste Dismantling Equipment is used for the collection of particulate dust
• Electrostatic Separator: to separate metal, plastic and other non-metal material in e-waste, such as the waste printed circuit boards, cable, aluminium, plastic and other scrap materials
• Eddy Current Separator: to discrete non-ferrous metals from ore stream or given waste using a powerful magnetic field
• Single/ Double Shaft Shredder: for shredding metal components to produce granules

Note: Dismantlers must not employ e-waste dismantling equipment for gravity separation/magnetic/density/eddy current/electromagnetic separators if they are not authorised to perform such activities.

Manual and Mechanised dismantling

A combination of proceedings that incorporate both worker manipulation and an automatic process. In this combined operation, the treatment of cooling appliances and small Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) (including IT) are included. Tools mentioned in the above two categories can be included to varying degrees to dismantle these items.

Licences and Permits needed to setup E-waste Dismantling Facility

Under the E-waste Management Rules, 2016, obtaining authorisation under the Air Act and Water Act from SPCB/PCC has been made mandatory for e-waste dismantlers. Therefore, all licences and permits must be obtained before investing in e-waste dismantling equipment. Moreover, the dismantlers must maintain records of the e-waste handled in Form 2 and file annual returns in Form 3. The authorisation and renewal process has been made simple and user-friendly to reduce the hesitation of the informal sector workers and encourage them to work alongside the standard operating procedure. The licences and permits needed are as follows –

Registration of the Unit

The dismantler must register its unit with the designated body to give the business a legal entity.

Consent Certificate

The concerned State Pollution Control Board (SPCB)/ Pollution Control Committee (PCC)provides pollution NOC also known as Consent Certificates. These certificates are given in 2 stages, Consent to Establish (CTE) and Consent to Operate (CTO).

Documents required at this stage are

• Duly filled application form of concerned SPCB
• Signed undertaking
• Site plan
• Detailed project report with a total investment
• Details of finished products, manufacturing process including a list of machinery, water balance, source of water and its required quantity 
• Land ownership documents
• Industry Registration Certificate
• Consent fee (as applicable)

• Balanced sheet certified by a CA
• Details of pollution control devices and the measures to manage solid, hazardous and plastic waste (their location on the premises, capacity and exit points of the discharge)
• Laboratory analysis report of the trade effluent and emissions
• Any other document mentioned in the application form

Dismantling Authorisation

The dismantler must obtain authorisation under Form 4 of the E-waste Management Rules for dismantling electronic waste. The form is required along with the application of e-waste dismantling equipment for the purpose of the concerned State Pollution Control Board/ Pollution Control Committee. In some states, the SPCB/PCC provides a Consolidated Consent Authorisation (CCA) at the time of application for CTO. The validity of authorisation is synchronised with the CTO in most cases. Documents required in this case are as follows –

• Prescribed application form

• Consent to Establish granted by the SPCB
• Registration Certificate issued by District Industries Centre (DIC)^[1]
• Proof of installed capacity of the establishment and machinery issued by the DIC
• Process flow chart for dismantling e-waste
• Proof of installation of Air Pollution Control Devices
• Details of effluent treatment mechanism
• Registration with authorised TSDF operator
• Authority letter/Power of Attorney
• Details of arrangements installed for dismantling e-waste and managing hazardous waste
• Copy of allotment letter

Conclusion

While setting up a dismantling unit requires the given tools and equipment, their applicability also depends on what is needed to be dismantled. E-waste dismantling equipment must therefore be used, keeping in mind the SOP issued by the authorities. SPCBs not only conduct a site inspection when issuing authorisation, but they also submit an annual report to Central Pollution Control Board. The CPCB, in turn, maintains a state-wise list of recycling and dismantling facilities and their processing capacity on its website (which is updated from time to time). India has 312 authorised recycling facilities with a combined processing capacity of more than 7,82,080 metric tonnes per annum.