Tetrabromobisphenol A recovery from computer housing plastic by a new solvothermal process

Brominated flame retardants contained in electrical and electronic waste plastic are toxic to both humans and the environment. Most disposal technologies for brominated flame retardants are environmentally unfriendly. Here, a novel solvothermal process was designed to recover tetrabromobisphenol A, a typical brominated flame retardant, from waste computer housing plastic. The plastic waste was treated by the solvothermal process followed by vacuum rotary evaporation. Results show a tetrabromobisphenol A recovery efficiency of 78.9 %, and a purity of 95.6 %. The stability of tetrabromobisphenol A during the solvothermal process was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance. Kinetics showed that diffusion across the polymer layer controlled recovery. We conclude that the novel solvothermal process is a promising green way to recover tetrabromobisphenol A from electrical and electronic waste plastic.