The demand for precious metals by manufacturers of electrical
and electronic equipment has increased significantly over the
past few years. Although precious metal concentrations in
appliances are very low, these metals have a high economic
and environmental relevance compared to other substances
present in much higher quantity (e.g. iron, copper, plastics). This
research project aims at describing and quantifying the flows
of small waste electrical and electronic equipment (sWEEE)
in Germany and in the USA for the year 2007, based on a
combination of expansive experimental investigations carried
out at TU Berlin and a review of the relevant literature. The
results revealed that, in 2007, only around a third of the gold
contained in desktop personal computers was recovered in
Germany, and over 60% was lost for the cycling economy.
Despite the lack of data, insufficient collection and losses of
precious metals due to inadequate treatment were identified
as the main weaknesses of the system. The results reveal new
findings on precious metal cycles and support the development
of strategies for reducing the losses of precious metals related
to electronic waste management. The method is not only useful
for assessing the recovery of valuable substances, but also for
quantifying systematically the amount of hazardous substances
that is disposed of in an environmental-sound way versus direct
releases to the environment.