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E-Waste Initiative

E-Waste Initiative. Duke EWB 2008 Parv Aggarwal, ECE/Econ/Phys ‘11. Some background on the problem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXzsqTFwV3Q. E-waste (or electronic waste):. A growing concern across the globe’s developing countries in Asia, Africa, and South America.

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E-Waste Initiative

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  1. E-Waste Initiative Duke EWB 2008 Parv Aggarwal, ECE/Econ/Phys ‘11

  2. Some background on the problem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXzsqTFwV3Q

  3. E-waste (or electronic waste): • A growing concern across the globe’s developing countries in Asia, Africa, and South America. • Worn out electronic hardware from western countries is been shipped to developing countries to decompose, due to comparatively poorer environmental and occupational regulations. • The e-waste undergoes uncontrolled smelting and burning in an effort to salvage out gold, silver, copper, plastic and steel, • This results in the release of toxic chemicals (ex. PCBs, lead, mercury, organometallic compounds), harming workers’ respiratory systems and entering into soil, groundwater, and air. • According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, in 2005 alone, discarded electronics totaled about 2 million tons. 75-80% percent of this was decomposed in unregulated recycling facilities across the globe.

  4. Plan • Improve the efficiency in the direct (non-chemical) refurbishing of old electronic components into newer components. • Engineer potential ways of developing electronic parts from non-toxic materials. • Develop safer ways of material separation than uncontrolled smelting and burning, and safer ways of disposing metals and organometallic compounds • Design ways to lower the cost of above methods, such that the safer methods are more profitable.

  5. Plan Cont. • Visit the RTP branch of Creative Recycling http://www.crserecycling.comto gain more insight about the electronic recycling/component separation/smelting process. • Test the above applications with worn out hardware found in Hudson, and send recommendations to the affected countries through NGOs like Basel Action Network; or coordinating directly with a specific e-waste site abroad. • Partner with the Duke organization “Wired 2 Achieve,” that refurbishes computers and distributes them to Durham residents, and/or Duke environmental clubs to achieve the above objectives. • Goal: prepare a research paper by May 2009.

  6. Plan Cont. • Above were only suggestions; students will decide what to do. • Meeting: ~once a month until we have more technical resources; more frequently after winter break • Can do this with another project! • We hope to involve one or more professors or post-docs from Pratt or the Nicholas School of the Environment, or a technical expert from Creative Recycling. • Questions? • Interested? Sign up with your email, • even if you can not completely certain. • Feel free to contact me at pa25@duke.edu

  7. Picture Sources: • http://www.crserecycling.com/main.php?p=electronics • http://www.futureofthebook.org/blog/archives/e-waste-orange-stuff.jpg • http://sitemaker.umich.edu/section002group3/e-waste • http://www.crunchgear.com • http://www.socialroi.com

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