How are phones recycled?
Did you know? 70~95% of one whole phone can be reused in new electronics.
Phone Recycling
1. Manual sorting
Electronics are sorted based on whether they are functional or broken — only broken devices are recycled
2. De-manufacturing
The broken phones are disassembled to remove any hazardous materials (this prevents damage to machines and reduces the risk of contamination)
3. Shredding
Large shredder machines destroy the phones into small pieces
4. Material sorting
Different types of materials (e.g. metals and plastics) are sorted into different categories
5. Dust extraction
Any impurities are removed from each shredded piece, preventing contamination
Metal Extraction
1. Magnetic Separation
> Ferromagnetic metals (e.g. iron, steel) are attracted to industrial electromagnets
> Paramagnetic metals (e.g. aluminium) are separated using Lenz's law ---- alternating magnetic fields induce a current in the metals, causing them to be repelled by the magnetic fields
> Non-magnetic materials (e.g. plastic) are not attracted to or deflected by any magnetic fields
The purified materials are sold and recycled for use in new phones
2. Water separation & purification
Materials are immersed in water and then sorted by density ---- materials with a lower density than water will float and vice versa
The metals are refined to check their quality and to remove impurities
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