M. S. Abu Bakar

Bio: M. S. Abu Bakar is an academic researcher from Loughborough University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Reuse & Electronic waste. The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 4 publications receiving 82 citations.

An integrated framework for planning of recycling activities in electrical and electronic sector

Abstract: In Europe 7.3 million tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) were created in 2002, and the fact that the growth rate of WEEE is 3-5% per annum, with a significant amount of this waste used to be dumped into landfills without any pre-treatment, has resulted in the introduction of a European WEEE directive. The directive requires companies who manufacture or import electrical and electronic equipment to take financial and legal responsibility for its environmental-friendly recovery and recycling. The current recycling applications of WEEE are often developed on an ad hoc basis and mainly attributable to the hidden economic value within used products. However, at present the recycling facilities are faced with the challenge to improve WEEE recycling activities to ensure that a larger proportion of components and materials are being recovered at a reasonable cost and yet at the same time legislative requirements are being met. A major assertion made in the research reported in this paper is that a systematic framework is needed to aid the decision making involved in adopting the best possible end-of-life strategies for WEEE. The paper presents one such integrated framework for the planning of the processes involved in the recycling of WEEE. Based on this framework, a computer-aided recycling process planning (CARPP) system which generates bespoke recycling process plans for WEEE has been developed, which is also described and its functionality demonstrated using a typical WEEE product.

Ecological and economical assessment of end‐of‐life waste recycling in the electrical and electronic recovery sector

Abstract: Technological innovation and shorter product life cycles of electrical and electronic equipment coupled with their rapidly growing applications have resulted in the generation of an enormous amount of waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). To address the potential environmental problems that could stem from improper end‐of‐life management of WEEE, many countries have drafted national legislation to improve the reuse, remanufacture and material recycling from WEEE, and to reduce the amount of such waste going to landfills. With the introduction of such legislation comes an increased need for the recovery operators to evaluate the recycling costs and environmental benefits of reclaimed products and materials in order to select the most appropriate end‐of‐life options for individual products in WEEE. This paper presents a systematic methodology for ecological and economical assessment to provide a holistic understanding of the impacts associated with different end‐of‐life options for such was...

Computer-aided recycling process planning for end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment:

Abstract: The significant environmental cost associated with management of products at the end-of-life has resulted in the emergence of 'producer responsibility' legislations to encourage increase in recovery and recycling practices. In the case of electrical and electronic equipment, one such legislation, namely the 'Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive', requires manufacturers to assume financial and legal liability for recovery and recycling of their products at the end-of-life. The current recycling applications of electrical and electronic waste are often developed on ad hoc basis and mainly attributable to the hidden economic value within used products. However, owing to stricter regulations on end-of-life product recycling, it is now essential to evaluate the recycling costs and environmental bene- fits of reclaimed products and materials as well as the selection of appropriate recycling strat- egy. The present paper describes the initial investigation in the realization of a computer-aided recycling process planner for electrical and electronic products. The assertion made is that such a systematic approach to producing bespoke eco-efficient recycling process plans for individual products will significantly improve the value recovery from recycling activities.

Integrated Sustainable Life Cycle Design: A Review

Abstract: Product design is one of the most important sectors influencing global sustainability, as almost all the products consumed by people are outputs of the product development process. In particular, early design decisions can have a very significant impact on sustainability. These decisions not only relate to material and manufacturing choices but have a far-reaching effect on the product’s entire life cycle, including transportation, distribution, and end-of-life logistics. However, key challenges have to be overcome to enable eco-design methods to be applicable in early design stages. Lack of information models, semantic interoperability, methods to influence eco-design thinking in early stages, measurement science and uncertainty models in eco-decisions, and ability to balance business decisions and eco-design methodology are serious impediments to realizing sustainable products and services. Therefore, integrating downstream life cycle data into eco-design tools is essential to achieving true sustainable product development. Our review gives an overview of related research and positions early eco-design tools and decision support as a key strategy for the future. By merging sustainable thinking into traditional design methods, this review provides a framework for ongoing research, as well as encourages research collaborations among the various communities interested in sustainable product realization.

Design, management and control of demanufacturing and remanufacturing systems

Abstract: In the recent years, increasing attention has been posed towards enhancing the sustainability of manufacturing processes by reducing the consumption of resources and key materials, the energy consumption and the environmental footprint, while also increasing companies’ competitiveness in global market contexts. De- and remanufacturing includes the set of technologies/systems, tools and knowledge-based methods to recover and reuse functions and materials from industrial waste and post-consumer products, under a Circular Economy perspective. This new paradigm can potentially support the sustainability challenges in strategic manufacturing sectors, such as aeronautics, automotive, electronics, consumer goods, and mechatronics. A new generation of smart de- and remanufacturing systems showing higher levels of automation, flexibility and adaptability to changing material mixtures and values is emerging and there is a need for systematizing the existing approaches to support their operations. Such innovative de- and remanufacturing system design, management and control approaches as well as advanced technological enablers have a key role to support the Circular Economy paradigm. This paper revises system level problems, methods and tools to support this paradigm and highlights the main challenges and opportunities towards a new generation of advanced de- and remanufacturing systems.

Optimizing reverse logistic costs for recycling end-of-life electrical and electronic products

Abstract: With accelerating technological changes and market expansions of electrical and electronic products (EEPs) during the last few decades, much focus and effort have been placed on the waste of these products. In order to reduce their negative impacts on the environment and human, at the end of their product lifecycles, their wastes need to be properly handled, processed, disposed, and if applicable, remanufactured, recycled or reused. Based on the analysis of the waste EEPs (WEEPs) reverse logistic network, this paper presents a mathematical programming model which minimizes the total processing cost of multiple types of WEEPs. The monetary factors considered in the model include the costs of collection, treatment, and transportation as well as sales income with different fractions of returned products. Based on the proposed model, the optimal facility locations and the material flows in the reverse logistic network can be determined. A sensitivity analysis of the proposed model is also presented. Finally, a numerical example is illustrated to gain a better insight into the proposed model.