Life-cycle environmental impact of flame retarded electrical and electronic equipment

In the ever-growing and constantly changing world of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), issues of lifecycle environmental impact are a major concern. Recyclability, as well as safety and compliance with regulatory issues are a few of the important factors that encompass end-of-life management. The use of flame retardants in EEE is known to significantly reduce fire risks, thus saving lives and the destruction of property Proposed European directives regarding waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and the restriction on the use of certain hazardous substances in EEE (RoHS) will have an important impact on the selection criteria of flame retardants used in EEE. This paper examines the contributions that particular flame retardants can make towards meeting these various demands. Included in the paper are results from recycle studies, physical property evaluations, and dioxin analysis of UL-94 V-0 rated high-impact-polystyrene formulations containing ethane 1,2 bis (pentabromophenyl) and ethylene 1,2 bis(tetrabromophthalimide) flame retardants. The conclusions of these evaluations show the benefits of using these flame retardants in HIPS resins for EEE applications.