Waste LED Lamps Recycling: Current Scenario and Future Perspectives

Abstract

The sales penetration of LED lamps was intensified through the development of technologies promoted by the ban on the incandescent lamps use. In addition to the reduction in energy costs, the increasing market share of LED lamps is correlated to some other characteristics such as versatility, long lifetime, and low heat emission, when compared to conventional models. Thus, after the end of life span, LED lamps are expected to join the reverse logistics, like other electronic equipment waste, but the lack of integration in the recycling chain support the inappropriate disposal of this waste. On the other hand, LED lamps started to be seen as a secondary source, because of the economic potential from metals reuse visualized in characterization papers. The present work focuses on the current scenario of recycling techniques, identifying gaps, and future perspectives in relation to the theme. The current overview introduces that, the hydrometallurgical process is the most applied for the recovery of metals, and may also be associated with thermal processes, known as pyrometallurgical. The interest elements present in LED lamps are Gallium, Indium, Gold, Copper, Arsenic, Silver and Nickel, however, despite the presence of studies that exhibit methodologies that allow their extraction, no process was carried out on a pilot and industrial-scale or presented in-depth economic feasibility studies.