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Material flow analysis and life cycle assessment of WEEE dismantling into recycled materials in Thailand

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Abstract

WEEE has become waste management and resource scarcity issues in Thailand because of its high generation and materials inside. Formulation of an appropriate WEEE sustainable management policy is a challenge. This study aims to use material flow analysis (MFA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) in environmental assessment of WEEE manual dismantling in Thailand. Refrigerator (RF), personal computer (PC), cathode ray tube TV (CRT TV), liquid crystal display TV (LCD TV), air conditioner (indoor (AC in) and outdoor (AC out)), feature phone (FP), and smartphone (SP) were studied. Dominant recovered materials were iron (26%), compressor (17%), and plastics (17%). CRT TV and SP had disposal parts higher than recyclable parts. WEEE generation was 311,843.39 ± 42,722.54 tons/year with 30% of the generated amount was estimated as total stock. Recyclable and discarded materials were 78.80% and 21.20%, respectively. LCA showed that impacts regarding ecotoxicity and human toxicity were the most potential impact categories that were affected by WEEE dismantling. For accumulative impacts, RF, PC, CRT TV, AC in, and AC out provided positive, but LCD TV, FP, and SP indicated negative. Increasing recyclable parts will be reducing negative impacts. These findings can help policy makers to transform into more sustainable WEEE management.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Research Council of Thailand, Research Program of Industrial Waste Management—Policies and Practices, Center of Excellence on Hazardous Substance Management (HSM), Chulalongkorn University, and Faculty of Science and Technology, Songkhla Rajabhat University, Thailand. The authors would also like to thank Seksan Papong of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Thailand for his valued input on this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom, 73000, Thailand

    Siriporn Borrirukwisitsak

  2. Hub of Waste Management for Sustainable Development, Chulalongkorn Research Building, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Siriporn Borrirukwisitsak, Kannika Khwamsawat & Surachai Leewattananukul

  3. Faculty of Engineering, Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon, Bangkok, 10800, Thailand

    Chantima Rewlay-ngoen

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  1. Siriporn Borrirukwisitsak
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Borrirukwisitsak, S., Khwamsawat, K., Leewattananukul, S. et al. Material flow analysis and life cycle assessment of WEEE dismantling into recycled materials in Thailand. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 25, 3674–3689 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-023-01789-3

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