The basic materials of old circuit boards are fiberglass and reinforced resin, with a significant amount of copper. Additionally, there are metals such as gold, aluminum, nickel, lead, and silicon, including a mix of rare metals. If not recycled, they become typical heavy metal waste pollution.
With the advancement of technology, the refining processes of specialized equipment for circuit boards have become increasingly sophisticated, gradually replacing traditional chemical solvent methods for separating metals. This is done to improve recycling rates and for environmental considerations. Nowadays, most people use more specialized circuit board recycling machines to process old circuit boards. This way, during the separation process, the loss of some metals and non-metal elements is minimized.
Next, we will analyze the costs, expenses, and profits generated from processing 1 ton of old circuit boards.
So, what is the approximate profit from processing 1 ton of old circuit boards using specialized equipment?
1. Cost of recycling old circuit boards:
1 ton * 6800 (CNY/ton) = 6800 CNY;
2. Electricity costs:
72 kW/h * 8 h * 1.1 (CNY/kWh) = 624 CNY;
3. Labor costs:
2 people * 200 CNY/day = 400 CNY
4. Other miscellaneous expenses:
300 CNY/day/ton
Note: This cost will vary based on your daily extraction volume.
From this, we can understand the total processing cost for 1 ton of waste circuit boards:
6800 CNY + 624 CNY + 400 CNY + 300 CNY = 8124 CNY
Now we should calculate the profit situation from processing 1 ton of old circuit boards:
The extraction rate of metals from old circuit boards is 13%-18%, with a comprehensive recovery price of 46000-52000 CNY/ton for various metals.
The resin accounts for 78%-82%, with a recovery price of 1000-1200 CNY/ton for resin powder.
1. Metals: 1 ton * 18% * 52000 CNY/ton = 9360 CNY;
2. Resin: 1 ton * 82% * 1200 CNY/ton = 984 CNY;
Total revenue: 9360 + 984 = 10344 CNY;
Profit = Total revenue – Total cost = 10344 – 8124 = 2220 CNY
Finally, we conclude that processing 1 ton of old circuit boards can yield a profit of around 2220 CNY per day.
This calculation is based on a basic processing volume of 1 ton.
If the factory’s processing scale is larger, the daily processing volume will exceed this amount.
For a factory of regular scale, the daily processing volume is around 3-5 tons, making such profits quite considerable.
Ultimately, to calculate your profit, you need to consider the local recycling prices for waste circuit boards, as well as labor and site costs. Additionally, the recovery prices for the extracted raw materials will fluctuate with market conditions. By recalculating in detail, you can more accurately determine your profit margin.
What are your thoughts on this case study of the costs and profits of recycling old circuit boards? We welcome everyone to leave comments and share their views!
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