INTERNATIONAL CLEANER PRODUCTION INFORMATION CLEARINGHOUSE

CASE STUDY # 74

1. Headline: Cleaner production in Printed Circuit Board

Manufacture in China

2. Background: End-of-pipe pollution control technologies

have been used by the Beijing General Electroplating

Factory (BEEF) since the end of 1970s. The waste water and

waste gas treatment facilities cost 1 million RMB (Chinese

yen) with annual operation costs of 0.4 million RMB

(Chinese yen). The factory's profits have been lowered by

such financial burdens.

BEEF is the biggest electroplating enterprise and one of

the main manufacturers of printed circuit boards in China.

BEEF has been in operation since 1958 and is located in

eastern Beijing. BEEF is a comprehensive electroplating

factory with: different metal electroplating processes

(including copper, nickel, chromium, zinc, silver and

etc.); aluminum anodizing; printed circuit board

manufacture (singleside, doubleside and multiside); and

electroplating equipment manufacture. There are 820

employees in the factory, 78 of whom are engineers.

3. Cleaner Production Principle:

4. Description of Cleaner Production Application: BEEF

participated in the preparation phase of the Cleaner

Production Project in China funded by the World Bank.

During 1993, representatives from BEEF, six other

companies and institutions such as the National

Environmental Protection Authority (NEPA), the Chinese

Research Academy for Environmental Sciences (CRAES) and

the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau (BEPB) were

trained in cleaner production by consultants from UNEP/IE

and IVAM Environmental Research (Amsterdam University).

Part of the training included carrying out cleaner

production assessments in the participating companies.

The doubleside and multiside Printed Circuit Board

manufacture line was selected as an audit focus. The

audit team performed a waste assessment, a material

balance, assessment and technical and economic feasibility

analysis and generated 14 cleaner production options to

minimization of copper concentration in the waste water.

Twelve options were identified, among which 4 involved raw

material substitution, 4 involved process modification,

and 4 involved good housekeeping, and have been

implemented.

Option summaries:

a. Electroplating Pb/Sn by using ammosulphonate solution

instead of fluorborate solution;

b. Recycling the spent solution;

c. Using counterflow and spraying rinse technology;

d. Removing resin residue by using potassium permanganate

solution instead of chromate and sulfuric acid;

e. Using electroless copper solution without any chelates.

5. Economics:

Option 1 Option 2

Capital investment,

RMB Y 102,900 640,000

Cost savings per year,

RMB Y 63,000 291,000

Payback period, year 2.3 3.8

The internal rate of return, % 14.08 16.01

6. Advantages:

-Improved the quality of products and reduced the number

of rejects;

-Extended the life of the electrolytic solution;

-Lowered the production cost by reduced water consumption;

-Lowered the copper concentration in the waste water

discharge;

-Lowered costs of end-of-pipe waste water treatment;

-Recycled some materials.

According to the statistics, some figures follow:

The consumption of metal materials (copper laminates and

anode,) decreased by 9.4%;

Water consumption reduced by 21% and the waste water

reduced by 5,300 tons/year;

The amount of copper contained in waste water decreased

by 139 kg;

The total economic benefits of the items above is 0.3

million RMB Chinese Yen annually.

7. Constraints: No information provided.

8. Contacts: Ms Qiuli Wang, Engineer

No. 8 Langjiayuan, Jianguomenwai,

Beijing, 100 022

China

Tel: +86 10 502 5361

Fax: +86 10 502 1524

9. Keywords: China, printed circuit board,

10. Reviewer's Comments: This case study was taken from the

document: "Cleaner Production in China," published by the

National Environmental Protection Agency of China. It was

edited for the ICPIC diskette in August 1995, but has not

undergone a formal technical review.