Register now After registration you will be able to apply for this opportunity online.
This opportunity is not published. No applications will be accepted.
Lifetime and disposal pathways of electronic devices in business use
In Switzerland, companies use large amounts of electronic devices that contain many important resources. In order to keep these resources in a closed loop system, it is important to know how long devices are used and stored and how they are disposed of.
Keywords: Material Flow Analysis, Secondary Resources, Urban Mining
In Switzerland, companies use large amounts of electronic equipment such as computers, printers and phones. For the production of these devices, a large number of resources are required. Some of these substances, such as indium used in flat panel displays, or neodymium used in hard disc drives, speakers, and headphones are already scarce or very difficult to extract. This is because they occur only in small quantities in the Earth's crust. Many resources are therefore becoming increasingly scarce as they are removed from conventional mines into our "urban mines" of electronics devices. Today, the gold content in a mobile phone is already approximately 30 times higher than in the ore from a typical gold mine in South Africa.
To keep the resources contained in these "urban electronic equipment mines" in a closed loop system, it is important to know where the devices are located, how long they are used and stored and how they are disposed of.
Lifetime and disposal pathways of electronic devices in business use differ greatly from private use. Devices are replaced faster and are often passed on or exported for further use.
In Switzerland, companies use large amounts of electronic equipment such as computers, printers and phones. For the production of these devices, a large number of resources are required. Some of these substances, such as indium used in flat panel displays, or neodymium used in hard disc drives, speakers, and headphones are already scarce or very difficult to extract. This is because they occur only in small quantities in the Earth's crust. Many resources are therefore becoming increasingly scarce as they are removed from conventional mines into our "urban mines" of electronics devices. Today, the gold content in a mobile phone is already approximately 30 times higher than in the ore from a typical gold mine in South Africa. To keep the resources contained in these "urban electronic equipment mines" in a closed loop system, it is important to know where the devices are located, how long they are used and stored and how they are disposed of. Lifetime and disposal pathways of electronic devices in business use differ greatly from private use. Devices are replaced faster and are often passed on or exported for further use.
The thesis includes, in a first part, a detailed study of the lifetime and disposal pathways of selected electronic devices which are used in different sized companies in Switzerland. You should analyze how long these devices are used and whether they are, after their first use, passed on for reuse, exported or disposed of. Also the temporal development of the lifetime and disposal pathways should be included.
Data are collected mainly through interviews with various representative Swiss companies.
In a second part, the collected data shall be integrated in a dynamic material flow analysis, which allows a detailed modeling of the use phase and a comparison with the private usage patterns. Thus, for the devices in general and for individual substances such as the critical metals indium and neodymium, the temporal development of stocks and flows can be calculated.
The thesis includes, in a first part, a detailed study of the lifetime and disposal pathways of selected electronic devices which are used in different sized companies in Switzerland. You should analyze how long these devices are used and whether they are, after their first use, passed on for reuse, exported or disposed of. Also the temporal development of the lifetime and disposal pathways should be included. Data are collected mainly through interviews with various representative Swiss companies. In a second part, the collected data shall be integrated in a dynamic material flow analysis, which allows a detailed modeling of the use phase and a comparison with the private usage patterns. Thus, for the devices in general and for individual substances such as the critical metals indium and neodymium, the temporal development of stocks and flows can be calculated.