SEMINAR REPORT

ON

GREEN ELECTRONICS

Submitted by

J.DIVAKAR

Week 1:

J.Divakar

07331A0445

ABSTRACT

Green refers to the development that meets the needs of present

generation without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs .

Electronics made life easy for us. Though electronic devices are a complex mixture of several

hundred materials, many of which can contain hazardous chemicals such as heavy metals

– highly toxic compounds of lead, mercury or cadmium– hexavalent chromium, beryllium,

brominated flame retardants (BFRs) or the chlorinated plastic, polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

Green Electronics focuses on elimination of harmful chemicals,

elements and components, and recycling of electronic products at the end of life. Green

electronics mainly concerned with embrace the principle of “Individual Producer

Responsibility” by taking financial responsibility for their products at the end of life. Designing

the products by eliminating hazardous substances, replacing harmful ingredients through use of

safer alternatives or design changes and to reduce the climate impact of electronics products and

provide technology solutions to help significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

The popularity of “green” electronics is on the rise. Consumers

are increasingly interested in investing in features that have a lower environmental impact,

according to a recent study by the Consumer Electronics Association. Up until now, energy

efficiency has been the basis for most green product claims, but some of the chemicals used in

electronic products also have a significant impact on the environment.

Many Parliaments of the different Countries has passed the

legislation to restrict the use of Lead and other harmful materials for the manufacture of

electronic products.

.

INTRODUCTION

Electronics made life easy for us. It has its wings in every

field of science. With the advent development in the wireless and IT industry the demand for the

electronic devices is so high .But electronic devices are a complex mixture of several hundred

materials, many of which can contain hazardous chemicals such as heavy metals- highly toxic

compounds of lead, mercury or cadmium– hexavalent chromium, beryllium, brominated flame

retardants (BFRs) or the chlorinated plastic, polyvinyl chloride (PVC),which has adverse effect

on the environment. The world’s booming consumption of electronic and electrical goods has

created a corresponding explosion in electronic scrap, much containing toxic and persistent.

Recycling of electronics devices is one way of reducing environmental

hazards associated with early production stages. However, recycling in this case is not the whole

solution; because of hazardous chemicals currently being used in the manufacture of electronics

products, recycling can bring its own problems. so the need for the GREEN ELECTRONICS

arises.

“Green refers to the development that meets the needs of present

generation without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs”

according to the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Developement .Green

Electronics focuses on elimination of harmful chemicals, elements and components, and

recycling of electronic products at the end of life.

Green electronics mainly concerned with embrace the principle of

“Individual Producer Responsibility” by taking financial responsibility for their products at the

end of life. Designing the products by eliminating hazardous substances, replacing harmful

ingredients through use of safer alternatives or design changes and to reduce the climate impact

of electronics products and provide technology solutions to help significantly reduce global

greenhouse gas emissions. The popularity of “green” electronics is on the rise. Consumers

are increasingly interested in investing in features that have a lower environmental impact,

according to a recent study by the Consumer Electronics Association. Up until now, energy

efficiency has been the basis for most green product claims, but some of the chemicals used in

electronic products also have a significant impact on the environment.

Week 2:

The Many Dimensions of Green Electronics

• Are its materials safe and sustainable?

• Is it conservative of energy?

• Is it designed for responsible recycling?

• Is there a way to reuse and recycle it?

• Is that way environmentally responsible?

• Will it last? Can it be upgraded?

• Is the packaging environmentally friendly?

• What about corporate practices?

Environmental Aspects of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) :

When looking at the environmental aspects of electronics, there are four main areas

of interest:

• Use of Raw Materials

• Use of Energy

• Waste deposit/incineration

• Chemical Substances

Environmental aspect Environmental impact

Use of Materials Pollution and energy use from mining and refining of raw materials, use of non-renewable resources, destroying beautiful scenery etc.

Use of Energy Pollution from power plants (acid rain, NOx-gases, radioactive and other waste etc.), use of nonrenewable fossil fuels

Chemical Substances Potentially toxic to humans and eco-systems. Emissions can occur during the whole life-cycle(mining and refining of raw materials, production, in the use- and end-of-life phases)

Waste deposit/incineration

Pollution of soil and ground water by leakage from waste deposits or ashes and slag, removal of non-renewable resources from circulation

Legislation needed to green the industry:

“Extended Producer Responsibility” means that

the cost of waste management is incorporated into the product price, thereby enacting the

‘polluter pays’ principle. Producers either absorb the additional costs (evaluated at 0.1% of the

price of a PC and 0.01% of a mobile phone), or increase the product price to take account of

these costs. In a competitive market this will motivate producers to design more environmentally

friendly products in order to lower the end-of-life costs. To be effective, such a programme

should be aligned as close as possible to “Individual Producer Responsibility”, meaning that each

company pays for its own-branded discarded products.

EEE has the authorities attention, primarily because

of the rising amounts of waste and the connected disposal problems. This is the reason why since

the beginning of the nineties there has been an ongoing work on legislation in this field, starting

in Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden and Norway, as well as on the EU-scale.

The regulations are primarily concerned with:

1. establishing collection systems and securing correct handling of waste, which

means recycling and regaining of resources

2. safe separation and disposal of environmental hazardous parts

3. certain hazardous substances, which will either be banned or restricted in use

The regulations also introduces a producer responsibility for the

disposal, and demands information from the producer to the recycler about e.g. the content of

environmentally hazardous parts and possibilities for recycling.

EU-directives:

There mainly three directives set up by the EUROPIAN UNION(EU).They are

1. WEEE – Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

2. RoHS - Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substance in electrical

and electronic equipment

3. EuP – Energy using Products, a framework Directive for setting eco-design

requirements for energy-using products

Week 3:

WEEE :

The WEEE Directive covers the design and production of electrical and

electronic equipment to aid repair, possible upgrading, re-use, disassembly and

recycling at end-of-life.

The Directive covers a wide range of equipment falling into ten broad product

categories with a voltage of up to 1,000 AC and 1,500 DC.

From August 2005, it makes producers of such equipment responsible for

financing at least the collection of waste electrical and electronic equipment

from central points, specialist treatment, and meeting the targets for re-use,

recycling and recovery

RoHS :

The RoHS Regulations ban the placing on the EU market of new Electrical and

Electronic Equipment (EEE) containing more than the set levels of lead,

cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium and both polybrominated biphenyl

(PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants from1 July

2006. There are a number of exempted applications for these substances.

EuP - directive for ”energy using products”:

Eco-design of energy using products

This initiative aims at improving the environmental performance of products

throughout their life-cycle by systematic integration of environmental aspects at

the earliest stage of their design.

The Directive will deliver long-lasting and increasing energy savings beneficial

to consumers that will also contribute to a reinforced security of energy supply

for the Community

Three North American Eco-labels for Electronics:

ENERGY STAR: ENERGY STAR is a U.S. government backed program

dedicated to helping individuals protect the environment through superior

energy efficiency

EcoLogo : A Private, for profit eco-label organization Under a

Partnership with Environment Canada

– Develops standards

– Certifies products

– Helps market certified products

• Standards developed through open, public process

– Approved by Environment Canada

– TerraChoice issues/promotes the standards

• Third-party certification of products by Terrachoice with onsite audit

• License agreement with manufacturer to use label

EPEAT ( Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool ):

An environmental procurement tool designed to help institutional IT purchasers address environmental concerns in their purchasing of desktop computers, laptops and monitors.The EPEAT System: 1) IEEE Standard 1680-2006 for the Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products Standard – ANSI Standard – Comprised of 51 environmental criteria

Hazardous chemicals in electronic products:

1. Lead can be found in solders, although decreasingly, in the glass of cathode ray tube

(CRT) monitors and as a stabiliser in PVC. Lead is highly toxic and exposure to lead

can result in irreversible damage to the nervous system, particularly in children, which

can lead to intellectual impairment.

2. Mercury, used in lighting devices for most flat screen displays, can damage the brain and

central nervous system, particularly during early development.

3. Cadmium, used in rechargeable computer batteries, contacts and switches and in older

CRTs, can accumulate in the body over time and is highly toxic, primarily affecting the

kidneys and bones. Cadmium and its compounds are also known human carcinogens.

4. Beryllium, used as a metal alloy in electrical contacts and as beryllium oxide in the semi-

conductor industry, is a human carcinogen and inhalation of fumes and dusts can cause

lung disease.

5. Compounds of hexavalent chromium, used in the production of metal housings, are

highly toxic and are human carcinogens.

6. Some BFRs19 used in circuit boards and plastic casings do not break down easily and

can build up in the environment, and some BFRs are also highly bio-accumulative (build

up in the body). Long term exposure to certain poly brominated diphyenylethers

(PBDEs) has been linked to abnormal brain development in animals, with possible

impacts on learning, memory and behaviour. Some BFRs can also interfere with thyroid

and oestrogen hormone systems and exposure in the womb has been linked to

behavioural problems. Incineration or any kind of burning of plastics containing BFRs

can cause the release of persistent dioxins and furans.

7. PVC is a chlorinated plastic used in some electronics products, including for insulation

on wires and cables. Although not directly toxic, PVC is a major source of pollution and

chemical hazard at all stages of its life cycle. In its softened form (as found in cables),

PVC requires the use of additives such as hazardous phthalates, including di(2-

ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), which are known as

reproductive toxins. Incineration or any kind of burning of PVC can cause the release of

persistent and toxic chlorinated dioxins and furans.

Eco-design - How to get started?

There are three mains steps to take:

Establish specific and measurable environmental targets for each

product-type, and specify these targets in the requirements

specification

Include the environmental issues in the agenda for design reviews

during the development phases

Establish metrics in order to make the environmental performance

of the products visible and measurable

Use less materials:

1. Minimise the equipment weight: This can be achieved by using the printed electronics.

--Smart cards(=microprocessor, memory, packaging) in a flexible strip manufactured in continuous reel to reel process.

Week 4:

--RFID ( = antenna + some electronics) is a printed foil manufactured in a continuous reel to reel process

--Flexible solar cell

--Flexible displays

2. Specify materials with established recycling systems (steel, aluminium, pure

thermoplastics etc.)

3. Specify the use of recycled materials (primarily polymers)

4. Consider alternatives to materials listed as limited resources

5. Minimise material waste during production

Reduce energy use:

1. Design with automatic power-down and stand-by functions.

2. Switch off parts of the circuit, which are not in use all the time

3. Change clock-frequencies dependant on the need for speed.

4. Consider power consumption when choosing components and component-families

5. Priorities high efficiency in power supplies

Chemicals:

1. Phase-out or minimise use of substances/chemicals, which are mentioned in lists

of banned or restricted substances (including lists from customers)

2. Map and evaluate the use of substances/chemicals, including their influence on

occupational health and safety, when choosing manufacturing processes(cleaning,

soldering, gluing, welding, etc.), also when applied at supplier

Components which are mainly used in production of present day electronics which has effect effect on environment are

- Pb(lead)

- BFR(brominated flame retardance )

- PVC(polyvinyl chloride)

Week 5:

LEAD:

Lead is mainly used in Solders

Glasses and ceramics

Polymers, rubbers, paints & inks

Lubricants

Other metallic uses of lead

The current lead based solders will have to be replaced by lead-free systems.

Solders e.g. based on silver are available - however, they require a processing temperature which

is about 30 °C higher than lead based solders. Therefore, the resin formulations of halogen free

wiring boards and components have to be adapted to withstand these higher temperatures.

Challenges-General Pb-free Electronics:

No exact drop-in replacement for Pb-based materials/components.

Solder alloy selection may vary based on application.

Replacements likely to see wide adoption include

– SnAgCu – Reflow

– SnCu – Wave

– SnAgCu or SnAg - Rework

Changes in component finishes, die attach materials, solders joints

– Higher processing temperatures (pop-corning, board warpage, delamination)

– Compatibility with Pb-free processing (mixed technology)

– Indirect failure mechanisms (tin whiskers, creep corrosion)

– Solder joint reliability (durability, intermetallic growth)

Technical Issues:

Many of the technical issues have been solved, and lead-freeproducts are being developed and

sold. Some remaining concerns are with:

– Mixed solder technologies (cross contamination)

– Rework

– Secondary failure mechanisms (tin and zinc whiskers)

– Reliability test standards

– Very long term reliability, i.e. >8 years

Board-level Issues:

Pb is present as an etch resist and as a plating -Hot Air Solder Level

(HASL).

Likely switch to pure tin for etch resist.

Pb-free PCB surface finishes, replacements for HASL (cost: 1.0)

– Organic solderability preservative (OSP)

– Electroless Nickel/Immersion Gold (ENIG)

– Immersion tin (Sn)

– Immersion silver (Ag)

Boards can be susceptible to damage in a high-temperature Pb-free

manufacturing process (Tg,, delamination, PTH, solder mask, inks,

markings, adhesives).

– One-third of the U.S. industry has switched to higher

Tg materials 170°C vs 140°C for a greater margin in

rework. With single-sided boards, FR-2 can be soldered Pb-

free with care.

Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu and HASL Boards:

A CALCE Study showed a weakened interface on HASL boards,

which were soldered with Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu. After high temperature aging, the failure mode in

shear testing shifted from the bulk solder to the interface (left) and over time, void bands were

observed (right).

Shear testing failure at the interface between voids observedat the interface betweenSnAgCu and intermetallic on HASL T after SnAgCu and intermetallic after 1000hrsaging 100 hours at 0.9Tm (168oC) aging at 0.9Tm

The most probable cause is tin depletion at the interface as tin from the HASL coating migrates toward the pad and forms intermetallics with copper, creating a weaker localized Pb rich region in the coating.Action Items for Pb-free Implementation:

1. Determine an approach to regularly monitor the release/revisions of legislative/regulative

requirements (worldwide) and required implementation deadlines

2. Determine materials/components in final product, which may contain RoHS restricted

substances. For instance, Pb in tinned cables, plastic additives, PVC wiring. Brominated flame

retardants in the polymers for plastics housing, connectors and switches.

3. Obtain necessary information from component suppliers and assembly facilities (e.g., material

selection, allowable reflow temperature, and Moisture Sensitivity Level). Identify the finishes of

components (in case of every package type) and PCBs.

4. Determine a list of Pb-free materials/components, based on availability and design

requirements

5. Determine a timeline for your product release with consideration of material/component

availability and qualification schedule

6. Determine if you want to place any restrictions on components, based on their finishes.

Determine additional processes for component finishes, if necessary, e.g., re-plate, solder-dip,

and heat treatment. Also determine any modifications necessary for assembly equipments due to

changes in materials/process. For example, removal of dross built-up in the solder pot may be

required more often than the case of Sn-Pb solders

7. Determine the licensing agreements of your Pb-free solder suppliers

8. Identify the end-of-life of Sn-Pb materials/components offerings, which may be required in

some applications

9. Identify new/revised standards applicable to Pb-free assembly process/test/inspection. For

example, current automated optical inspection might not work due to differences in surface and

wetting characteristics

10. Determine qualification and reliability tests

11. Determine an approach for Pb-free rework/repair of components and identify any

modifications needed on existing tools for rework/repair

Week 6:

BFR(brominated flame retardance ):

This is mainly used

Laminates of printed wiring boards, including flexible circuit boards.

Battery, including casing and components

Housing (including for periphery equipment, e.g. transformer)

Fan and fan housing

Ribbon cables

Electrical insulation sheet

Plastic coated/encased electrical connectorsin

The main concerns against brominated FRs are their persistence in the

environment but mainly their accumulation in living organisms in addition to in some instances

steeply increasing concentrations in the environment and biota. They have been found almost

every from house dust, foodstuffs to polar bears and human milk.

A number of ecolabels restrict or ban brominated flame retardants in their

product criteria, e.g. the Blue Angel in Germany, the Swan in the Nordic countries and TCO

which is of particular interest for electronics. IT Eco-declarations of manufacturers as well as the

new Global Automotive Declarable Substance List (GADSL) require the declaration of certain

halogenated flame retardants.

Available halogen-free flame retardant solutions :

Currently, halogen-free solutions exist for printed circuit boards as

well as for plastics for housings, connectors and other E&E materials.

N ew environmentally friendly Phosphorus based Flame Retardants forPrinted

Circuit Boards as well as Polyamides and Polyesters in E&E Applications :

Elmar Schmitt and coworkers from Clariant Corporation discussed the

properties of a newly developed class of phosphinate flame retardants (Exolit OP series) for

engineering thermoplastics like polyamides and polyesters. Different polyamides,especially glass

fibre reinforced grades, can be effectively fire retarded with these new halogen-free products

based on phosphinates. The required dosage for a UL 94 V-0 performance is lower than for other

flame retardant formulations apart from red phosphorus. In engineering thermoplastics, the new

formulations based on Exolit OP 1311 / 1312 allow a high CTI (Comparative Tracking Index) of

600 Volt and a low compound density. Mechanical properties are at the same level as for

halogenated compounds. Particular advantages of the new formulations are also the good flow

properties and the fact that they flame retarded plastics can be coloured with any pigments. The

established bromine and red phosphorus based flame retardants in this sector suffer from

technical drawbacks like limited electrical properties, high density or limited colour range.

Exolit OP 930 is the phosphinate designed for printed circuit boards based on epoxy resin (high

Tg of 170 °C, FR-4 laminates). Unlike most other phosphorus containing compounds, Exolit OP

930 is not hygroscopic (no water pick-up after pressure cooker test), has no plasticizing effect, is

not soluble in organic solvents, has very low solubility in water and does not hydrolyse in the

presence of water. Furthermore, Exolit OP 930 has an excellent thermo stability, showing a start

of decomposition around 330°C, making it suitable for the next generation of lead-free solders.

The temperature of 330°C is also the range

in which most of the epoxy resins will

decompose, making Exolit OP 930 a very

effective flame retardant in this type of

polymer.

“green is the common colour of printed wiring boards containing brominated flame retardants, whereas blue is used for materials

with non-halogenated flame retardants”.

Highly Efficient Flame Retardant Curing Agent for Epoxy Resins: Cefn Blundell from Akzo Nobel Chemicals, now Supresta, presented

results on physical properties and combustion performance of a new polymeric organo

phosphorus curing agent, specially designed for electronic thermoset resins. The new flame

retardant has quite promising properties like higher glass transition temperature and lower

thermal expansion, however, at the time it was not available in commercial quantities nor was its

chemical nature disclosed.

Sustainability Concerns For Flame Retarded Plastics Used in Electrical

and Electronic Equipment Applications:

Raymond Dawson and Susan Landry from Albemarle Corporation

highlighted the fire safety provided by flame retardants, but mainly looked at the currently

available end of- life options for plastics containing flame retardants. The main conclusion is that

flame retardants are not in the way of any recycling or treatment option which is currently

technically feasible, e.g. plastic parts can be mechanically recycled and retain their material and

fire safety properties, although various polymers and flame retardants differ in suitability. Also,

waste-to-energy recovery by incineration is not a problem, provided state-of-the-art technology

is applied. However, the same limitations apply as to all plastic materials: for mechanical and

feedstock recycling continuous streams of input materials of defined composition are necessary.

Therefore, these routes are currently only applied in either closed loop recycling systems or by

polymer processors who recycle their process waste.

Comparison of brominated versus halogen-free printed wiring boards:

The main difference, is higher energy consumption for drilling of the

non-halogenated wiring boards, probably because inorganic filler materials were applied (like

aluminium hydroxide or silicium oxide) as flame retardants. Whereas the bromine industry

promotes this paper as proof that brominated flame retardants are environmentally more friendly

than non-halogenated flame retardants, this quote clearly shows the limitations of this study.

Environmental and toxicological effects like bioaccumulation were not even covered.