Science: how efficient recovery of LED lamps

LED light source has a variety of forms, in order to effectively recycle them, first of all must be broken into components, in the recovery of the LED diode itself, they are as good as possible in order to collect is very critical.

The light emitting diode (LED) is used in televisions, lamps, light source and many other products, they are also in a greater degree of penetration of the automotive lighting market, however, today there is no suitable process for recovery of these items. Now, however, researchers have developed a method for mechanically separating LED.

Modern light sources are made from a variety of materials, which are made of glass or plastic, with ceramic or aluminum in the heat sink, while the resistance and the cables contain copper. The most valuable materials in the LED itself, they are semiconductor diodes in the indium and gallium and phosphors in the rare earth elements of europium or terbium, which makes the manufacture of relatively expensive, low profit margins. "Now the recycling industry researchers are beginning to receive LED products, but because there is no suitable recovery process, they are only to be saved. The main goal is to recycle the valuable materials recycling industry to start processing is only a matter of time LED," Fraunhof material recycling and resource strategy project group J RG Zimmermann said.

The researchers used the electric hydraulic crushing process to break into the LED lamp parts without hurting the LED itself, its pulse generation in a water bath with electric shock wave components in a predetermined breaking point on them separately, then the components can be separately collected. The researchers have adjusted their experimental devices to the recovery of LED modified fluorescent tubes, which are similar to conventional fluorescent tubes, using standard fluorescent tubes. "This method is also applicable in principle to other sizes of LED, such as LED for TV or car lights, as well as other appliances in the LED," Zimmermann explained.

The effective recovery process is a prerequisite for neatly separated components, in order to effectively all the components of the separation and recovery of LED lamps, requires a completely different way to produce a large number of semiconductor and fluorescent materials, "Zimmermann said. It is more difficult to separate the material mixture if the whole lamp is crushed. The decomposition of the LED lamp to the component level also makes it easier to recycle more of the material contained in it, by collecting a large number of similar components that are rich in these elements. Zimmermann clarified that this process involves only a large amount of money, it is profitable for the recycling industry and manufacturers.

"We are still testing the grinding process is repeated until the required materials are separated," said Zimmerman, the researchers can adjust the parameters of the experiment device, such as the type and quantity of liquid container size or pulse voltage, the separation occurs precisely at certain point of fracture. "In particular, is the number of the pulses determines how the components will be separated," electric hydraulic grinding technology is currently a detailed study and further improved and extended to other LED application fields, "our study has shown the mechanical separation is a feasible way to improve the recovery of LED lamps," Zimmermann said.

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