Circuit board production can generate arsenic waste in several ways. Arsenic is used in the production of GaAs, indium-arsenide, and InGaAs semiconductors, which are used in biomedical, communications, and computer applications[3]. The manufacturing of printed circuit boards and semiconductors can generate arsenic-containing residues and dusts[2]. The effluents from printed wiring assemblies may contain acids, alkalis, fluxes, metals, organic solvents, and, where electroplating is involved, metals, fluorides, cyanides, and sulfates[2]. Scrap electronic circuit boards, relays, and switches may also contain arsenic[3].
Proper waste management practices are essential to minimize the release of arsenic into the environment and reduce potential health risks. Researchers have studied metal-recovery processes and pretreatment processes, including electrolytic fusion and mechanical separation, to recover metals and energy from printed circuit boards[5]. The invention provides a method of removing arsenic from printed circuit board acid etching exhausted liquid for recycling and decontamination treatment[1].
Citations:
[1] https://patents.google.com/patent/CN102815818A/en
[2] https://www.ifc.org/content/dam/ifc/doc/1990/electronmfg-ppah.pdf
[3] https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2021/mcs2021-arsenic.pdf
[4] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0957582018300211
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5455934/
