WEEE TREATMENT AND RECYCLING PROCESSES: A CASE STUDY ABOUT MOBILE TELEPHONES BATTERRIES RECYCLING PROJECT

At the moment, in waste management sector, the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronically Equipments) represent a topical problem, because they are one of the most increasing waste flow and now they are the 4% of urban waste totality. Actually more then 90% of WEEE are laid underground, incinerated or putted in landfill, without any pre-treatment, with serious damages for environment and human health. Normative law frame is represented by 2002/96/CE European parliament directive (recently modified by 2003/108/CE directive): its own principal purpose is to prevent WEEE production, to stimulate WEEE reuse and recycling, through differentiated picking and the promotion of electrical and electronically equipments eco-design (design for recycling). This paper is about the study of WEEE end-life treatment and recycling processes, in particular about a mobile telephones batteries recycling project, thank to an investigation carries out with Italian firms of the sector: the study is based on the examination of technologies for components separation and also on the destination of the recycling materials obtained by WEEE treatment.