A novel, cost efficient identification method for disassembly planning of waste electrical and electronic equipment

Waste electrical and electronic equipment belongs to a waste group with high recycling potential. After disassembly, the materials can be recycled, bringing economic and environmental benefits. The critical issue in the reverse supply chain is the exchange of information between manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment and disassembly plants about products entering the market and the raw materials and hazardous substances used. The purpose of this research is to explore the application of an innovative data encoding system for manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment for disassembling and recycling purposes. The method proposed in this study focuses on the possibility of using the existing identification systems in manufacturing, like 2D-codes and radiofrequency identification (RFID), at the disassembly and recycling stage at the end of life of the products. Encoding the data in a label by any manufacturer within the demands of the novel ID system should be low cost and easy in application. Decoding the data from a label when waste equipment reaches the end of life should be fast and simple by a disassembling company. The product data are accessible directly from the label without connection to an external database using 2D codes, RFID and label background colour. Real world tests were provided in two electrical and electronic equipment factories to verify the usability of the proposed method at the manufacturing stage. The findings show that the cost of this method implementation in real manufacturing conditions is minimal. It can be introduced in any manufacturing plant without changes in the assembly line layout. The existing product identification system can be enriched with additional data, encoded in 2D-code (Data Matrix or QR) or RFID tag. In addition, it is possible to use a coloured label background for a simple visual method to identify material contents. Laboratory tests simulated the disassembly stage and capability of data extraction from labels, indicating easy reading 2D-code labels and RFID tags for mediumsized equipment. RFID tags for compact and small equipment had reduced reading range caused by the metal casing. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.