SHREDDING & SAMPLING
Description of the e-waste sample process:
The entire shipment (e.g., 10,000 kg) is shredded into 2 cm x 2 cm or 4 cm x 4 cm fractions, depending on the shipment size. This is necessary for homogenization of the substance, as the distribution of precious metals on PCBs is typically very uneven. The crushing process homogenizes the substance.
Most of the material is processed in this manner.
A sample comprising a quarter of 5% of the initial mass is selected and further crushed into 6 mm x 6 mm fractions. The sample selection occurs continuously throughout the entire shredding process, from start to finish.
A 5-10 kg sample is separated from the fourth quarter material. This sample represents the entire shipment and undergoes further testing by fire assay in the laboratory.
This process is carried out in collaboration with several of the largest electronics recyclers in the world, including companies in Netherlands, Sweden and Germany. Extensive testing has demonstrated that these fraction sizes and sample quantities yield the highest accuracy.
