Transition of WEEE to the Circular Economy

拟议的活动将解决一些关键问题：a)废电子电气设备中的资源目前的命运是什么？B)从现在到2020年后，WEEE将如何变化？C)到2020年，如何改变废旧电子电器的管理方式，以便提取关键资源并保持其为循环经济的一部分？(D)2020年后废旧电子电气设备的最佳资源回收系统是什么，需要进行哪些研究才能使其可行？(E)提高资源效率和节约能源将如何造福社会和减少对环境的影响？这些问题的答案需要编制详细的知识库，以建立跨学科研究计划，以便为涉及适当合作伙伴的未来研究提供信息。主要的基本活动包括：(I)发布会，会上将进行主旨演讲，以确定拟议研究的背景和理由，商定工作范围，确定作出优先决定的标准，并批准将采取的方法和责任分配；(Ii)证据收集和(Iii)通过对主要、次要和技术文献进行案头研究、个人沟通、利益攸关方访谈、对废电子产品、原始设备制造商等的案例研究访问来进行数据解释；开发和应用思维导图工具，作为在总体愿景、影响关系和利益攸关方参与方面在政策、法规和业务层面作出知情科学决策的基础，并确定共同感兴趣的群组。从本质上讲，有必要了解废旧电子电器产品目前的组成、数量和命运、现有和正在开发的从废旧电子产品中回收关键价值成分的技术、流程和系统，以及通过减少使用原始材料而产生的报废处理方法和惠益对环境和健康的影响；(4)将在国际电子产品研究中心举办的以5个关键研究问题为重点的专题讲习班将涉及与所有合作伙伴举行集思广益会议(酌情利用虚拟会议)，以确定对经济和自然生态系统具有战略重要性的关键价值成分的优先次序；调查可最大限度地将废旧电子电器产品的关键价值成分返回商业周期的潜在路线/工艺技术；确定重复使用、再制造和回收废旧电子产品资源的范围，无论是单独使用还是与其他适当的废物流结合使用，以最大限度地提高效益并提供综合协同解决方案；并确定将项目带入下一阶段所需资源的专业知识方面的任何差距。将采用经过验证的“层叠”方法来提炼挑战的想法和新出现的问题，以进一步完善关键的重点领域和及时的研究优先事项；(V)编写提案，以实现废物和电子电器产品材料回收过程中的阶段性变化，从而产生全面的社会、文化、环境和经济效益。

The proposed activities will address a number of key questions: a) What is the current fate of the resources in WEEE? b) How is WEEE going to change between now and beyond 2020? c) How can the management of WEEE be transformed by 2020 so that key resources are extracted and remain part of a circular economy? (d) What would be the optimum resource recovery system for WEEE beyond 2020, and what research is required to make this viable? (e) How will increased resource efficiency and energy savings benefit society and reduce environmental impact? The answers to these questions require the production of a detailed knowledge base to build inter-disciplinary research plans to inform future research involving appropriate partners. The key underlying activities include: (i) A Launch event at which keynote presentations will be given to set the context and rationale for the proposed research, to agree the scope of work, to define the criteria against which priority decisions will be made, and to ratify the approach to be adopted and the allocation of responsibilities; (ii) Evidence gathering and (iii) Data interpretation through desk-based research of primary, secondary and technical literature, personal communication, stakeholder interviews, case study visits to producers and handlers of WEEE, OEM's etc; development and application of mind mapping tools as a basis for informed scientific decisions at policy, regulatory and operational levels in terms of overall vision, impact relationships and stakeholder engagement, and to identify clusters of common interest. Inherently, there is a need to understand the current composition, volume and fate of WEEE, the technologies, processes and systems, existing and under development for the recovery of key value components from WEEE, and the environmental and health impacts of end-of-life treatment methods and benefits through reduced use of virgin materials; (iv) Themed Workshops to be held at ICL focusing on the 5 key research questions will involve brainstorming sessions (making use of virtual meetings, as appropriate) with all partners to prioritise key value component streams of strategic importance to the economy and natural ecosystems; investigate potential routes/process technologies that maximise the return of components of WEEE to the commercial cycle; determine the scope for reuse, remanufacture, and recycling of resources from WEEE, alone or combined with other appropriate waste streams to maximise benefits and deliver integrated synergistic solutions; and identify any gaps in expertise that will need to be resourced to take the project to the next stage. A proven "cascade" methodology for the distillation of challenge ideas and emerging issues to refine further key focus areas and timely research priorities will be applied; (v) Proposal preparation towards achieving the step-change in material recovery processes from WEEE that will deliver holistic social, cultural, environmental and economic benefits.