A Knowledge Based Method for Estimating the Material Content Value of End of Life Pcbs

Abstract

End-of-life Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) represent a highly valuable yet challenging waste stream due to their complex composition and the presence of precious metals. Despite their high value, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the European recycling industry often find their treatment economically unviable, leading to the bulk sale of waste PCBs to a limited number of high-capacity pyrometallurgical plants in Europe. Currently, no industrial-scale, inline characterization technology exists, and classification largely relies on the subjective experience of recycling operators.This paper presents a knowledge-based method for PCB characterization, enabling rapid estimation of precious metal content and value based on the number, dimensions, and geometric features of electronic components. The method is validated through real-world experiments, demonstrating its effectiveness compared to traditional, labor-intensive, and costly offline quantitative assessments. The proposed approach advances the automation of PCB identification and classification.

Keywords: PCBs recycling, waste PCBs, Precious metals, PCBs sorting, Classification