Thesis
Thermal Degradation Study of Printed Circuit Board with Various Metal Oxides
Masters by Research, Murdoch University
2024
Abstract
Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are essential components of electronic devices, but they also contain hazardous substances, such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs). The disposal of waste PCB is a major environmental concern due to the potential release of various brominated compounds, such as hydrogen bromide (HBr) and brominated organic compounds, during the thermal treatment process. These emissions pose environmental and human health risks.
This thesis investigated the effectiveness of using metal oxides to capture bromine during the co-pyrolysis of PCBs. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to study the thermal decomposition of PCB over various metal oxides with different ratios, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) were used to characterise the product residues. The results showed that metal oxides, such as zinc oxide (ZnO), iron oxide (Fe2O3), and calcium oxide (CaO), can effectively capture bromine from thermal treatment of PCBs, resulting in the formation of valorised zinc bromide (ZnBr2), iron bromide (FeBr2), and calcium bromide (CaBr2), respectively. The comparative assessment of the metal oxides revealed that CaO demonstrated superior performance, followed by ZnO and then Fe2O3, in capturing bromine from BFRs during co-pyrolysis. This can be attributed to the enhanced Lewis basicity of CaO and the formation of stable and less volatile bromide products. This approach offers a promising path toward a secure and environmentally sustainable method for recycling PCB waste.
Details
- Title
- Thermal Degradation Study of Printed Circuit Board with Various Metal Oxides
- Authors/Creators
- Dareen Al Jasem
- Contributors
- Gamini Senanayake (Supervisor) - Murdoch University, Centre for Water, Energy and WasteMohammednoor Altarawneh (Supervisor) - Murdoch University
- Awarding Institution
- Murdoch University; Masters by Research
- Identifiers
- 991005709870007891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Engineering and Energy
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Note
- Research Masters with Training of Murdoch University
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