UC Irvine scientists to tackle electronic waste

Researchers at UC Irvine want to make technology greener by using a

$1.5-million grant to produce a prototype electronic device using

environmentally friendly materials.

Scientists have five years to use the grant. Professor Oladele

Ogunseitan, slated to lead the research team, said it is hoped that

the result of the research will be a device -- possibly a cell phone

-- that works as well as current technology but uses safer

components.

Cell phones and other electronics, Ogunseitan said, contain metals

such as lead, mercury and cadmium. If dumped in a landfill, these

substances can leach into the ground and contaminate soil and

groundwater, he said.

“Eventually, they’re going to contaminate water. If we incinerate

them, they’re going to contaminate air,” Ogunseitan said.

The most common materials used in soldering are tin-lead alloys,

according to o7www.efunda.comf7, an engineering website. Ogunseitan

would like to find an alternative to lead. He acknowledged that using

a new material would likely require manufacturers to retool their

production and facilities and incur greater costs.

The broader issue that Ogunseitan and the other researchers want

to address is called e-waste -- the many phones, televisions,

computers and other equipment that are discarded when new technology

hits the market.

“Part of the problem is that these products are easily outmoded

every three years. There’s a new model coming out,” Ogunseitan said.

In addition to developing new technology, the project will also

suggest new policies for handling e-waste.

In California, televisions made with cathode ray tubes are

considered hazardous waste and cannot be thrown away with regular

garbage.

A state program that went into effect at the beginning of 2005

charges customers a fee when they buy certain electronic devices.

The fee is used to fund a program designed to allow Californians

who want to get rid of electronics to take their unwanted gear to a

recycler at reduced or no cost. Companies that accept used

electronics for recycling can be found at o7www.erecycle.orgf7.

“What we’re trying to do in California is create an infrastructure

that’s going to keep these things out of landfills,” California

Integrated Waste Management Board spokesman Chris Peck said.

To consider policy questions surrounding e-waste, UC Irvine

professor Jean-Daniel Saphores plans to take surveys to find out how

much consumers would be willing to pay for recycling programs and to

talk with consumers, manufacturers and government officials to find

out what kind of policies people can agree on.

“The idea is not to have more regulations, but better

regulations,” Saphores said.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be

reached at (714) 966-4624 or by e-mail at

[email protected].