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.