Investigation on large sample pyrolysis characteristics and mechanism analysis of typical components of WEEE

A laboratory scale thermogravimetric analysis in which larger sample loading (approximately 15 g) can be analyzed was designed, and the pyrolysis characteristics of typical components (wire, keyboard and printed circuit board wastes) of waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) were investigated. The experiments were conducted from room temperature to 1073 K at a prefixed heating rate of 20 K/min in the nitrogen atmosphere. The results were compared with those obtained in common thermo-gravimetric measurements and indicated that large particles have a pyrolysis reaction retardancy compared with fine ones. Through the adoption of a selection method featuring the most probable mechanism function, the mechanism functions of wire, keyboard and printed circuit board wastes both in the laboratory scale thermogravimetric analysis and in common thermogravimetric measurements were proposed, respectively. Additionally, the activation energy (E) and pre-exponential factor (A) of wire, keyboard and printed circuit board wastes were also obtained.