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  Recycling computer parts In terms of modern electronics, “obsolete” can mean yesterday and that translates into a lot of discarded equipment. A team of researchers in the College of Engineering is designing Internet resources to make recycling that equipment easier and more efficient. Sarah Ryan, IMSE associate professor, leads a three-department team that was recently awarded a grant of $180,000 from the National Science Foundation. The purpose of the grant is to design a system that will inform high-tech manufacturers about which materials to use and allow recyclers to coordinate their efforts. “Recycling electronic products is a hot topic,” Ryan said. “We want to make it profitable for companies to go into this business.” A number of problems accompany this new “demanufacturing” business. The manufacturers are not always aware of which materials lend themselves to easy recycling, especially considering the many varieties of plastic as well as precious metals contained in microchips. Meanwhile, the recyclers lack a centralized network of product collection. Ryan and her colleagues intend to attack both problems by designing ways for manufacturers and recyclers to collaborate on the Internet. Their solution, known as a scalable enterprise resource planning system, could accommodate thousands of manufacturers and recyclers simultaneously. The information and contacts available on such a system could ultimately help minimize the environmental impact of discarded electronic equipment. The other members of the research team are Jo Min, IMSE associate professor; Sigurdur Olafsson, IMSE assistant professor; Douglas Gemmill, ME assistant professor; and Doug Jacobson, ECpE associate professor. |
