Abstract
The increasing diffusion of Hi-tech complex products has raised the attention of scientific community towards their End of Life
(EoL) treatment, both in terms of assuring an appropriate disposal, to avoid the dispersion of harmful substances, and at the aim
of their exploitation as valuable sources of raw materials. Within this study an integrated approach for waste electrical and
electronic equipment (WEEE) end of life treatment is proposed based on the integration of hydrometallurgy for metal recovery
and pyrolysis for plastic fraction valorization, with a particular focus on EoL personal computers. An innovative
hydrometallurgical process with limited environmental impact for the recycling of added value metals (Au, Ag, Cu, Sn, Pb) from
printed circuit boards was developed and thermal technologies were investigated for the valorization of mixed plastic
components. The results show metal recovery rates up to 99% and purity grade up to 99%. With reference to plastic valorization,
the maximized production up to 95% w/w of both a liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon-based stream to be exploited as a fuel or as
source of chemicals was achieved from WEEE plastic fractions.