Challenges and Emerging Trends in Toner Waste Recycling: A Review
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Composition of Toners
3. Challenges in Recycling Toner Waste
- Lack of awareness of the toxic effect of waste toners among the end users and those involved in informal recycling;
- Inaccessible and insufficient collection points for systematic collection of waste toners;
- Inherent stability of toners, which makes recycling/reusing difficult;
- Lack of strict legislation and governance in e-waste management, especially in developing countries;
- Uncontrolled growth of informal recycling sector;
- Pollution arising from irresponsible processing of waste toners.
- It is impossible to identify the producer of a particular toner at the end of use.
- Waste toners need to be collected at accessible locations. Toners of different compositions will be collected together. Unified recycling methods are needed to treat the mixture. In this case, the cost and responsibility of recycling has to be borne by the government and the producer cannot be held responsible. Common treatment/recycling plants, such as ETPs (Effluent Treatment Plants) for treating industrial effluents, need to be commissioned by local governments.
- Local xerographic and printing shops might not use branded toners for their devices.
- There is no mechanism to monitor, quantify, and document the usage and disposal of toners.
- Information labels on recyclability are not available on toner products.
4. Emerging Trends in Recycling Toner Waste
5. Future Directions
5.1. Policies and Legislations
5.2. Standards and Eco-Labelling
5.3. Innovations in Recycling
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Country | Specific or Draft Legislation |
---|---|
China | Rules on the administration of the recovery and disposal of discarded electrical and electronic products (promulgated in 2009, effective in 2011) |
India | E-waste management and handling rules (2016) |
Indonesia | Specific article on EPR is under preparation under Solid Waste Management Act 2008 |
Malaysia | Specific article on take-back and deposit refund in Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007. Draft regulation on recycling and disposal of End-of-Life electrical and electronic equipment. |
Thailand | WEEE Strategic Plan 2007 and Draft Act on Economic Instruments for Environmental Management (under development) |
Vietnam | Draft regulations on the reclamation and treatment processes for disposal products (under planning; draft released in 2010) |
Component | Percentage (%) |
---|---|
Polymers | 45 |
Fe3O4 | 25 |
Carbon black | 20 |
Additives | 5 |
Wax | 3 |
Cellulose/Kaolin | 1 |
Surfactants | 1 |
Property of Waste Toner | Emerging Applications | Reference |
---|---|---|
Composition | Recovery of pure iron and iron oxides, nanomaterial synthesis | [9,37,39,41] |
Viscosity | Filler for rubbers | [10] |
Adsorptive capacity | Wastewater treatment | [40,41] |
Electrical conductivity | Conducting polymer blends | [42] |
Charge storage capacity | Power generation/storage devices | [43,44] |
Mechanical strength | Building construction | [45,46,47,48] |
Thermal conductivity | Microwave absorbing composites | [49] |
Waste/Material | Without Recycling (kg/mton) | With Recycling (kg/mton) | Percent Reduction |
---|---|---|---|
Solid waste produced in the lifecycle | 1020 | 780 | 24% |
Virgin materials used in toner lifecycle | 2530 | 1790 | 29% |
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Parthasarathy, M. Challenges and Emerging Trends in Toner Waste Recycling: A Review. Recycling 2021, 6, 57. https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling6030057
Parthasarathy M. Challenges and Emerging Trends in Toner Waste Recycling: A Review. Recycling. 2021; 6(3):57. https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling6030057
Chicago/Turabian StyleParthasarathy, Meera. 2021. "Challenges and Emerging Trends in Toner Waste Recycling: A Review" Recycling 6, no. 3: 57. https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling6030057
APA StyleParthasarathy, M. (2021). Challenges and Emerging Trends in Toner Waste Recycling: A Review. Recycling, 6(3), 57. https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling6030057