The Life Cycle Analysis of Cell Phones - Case Study Example

Cell Phones Cell phones, also known as mobile phones, connect to the public switched telephone network wirelessly and transmit voice and data by electromagnetic radiations. Cell phones have a varied history but their increased use can be traced to the WWII where radio telephony links operating in the frequency range of 30 to 40 mega hertz (MHz) were used by the military and police (Balbuena 74). They were bulky devices, ran on high power and not appropriately portable as is the case today. In the late 1940s, some companies started the production of mobile phones for use in automobiles targeting the wealthy citizens, but they could only support a few simultaneous communications. On the other hand, cellular networks today have the capacity to support automatic and all-encompassing use of cell phones for both data and voice communications. Like most electronic gadgets, cell phones are made up of largely recyclable components, and as newer models are rapidly replacing older ones, the number of unused gadgets is increasing exponentially (Geyer 519). Recycling these parts is a control measure of the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. This paper will discuss the life cycle analysis of cell phones and three of its key components in terms of how they are made, if they are being recycled and their sustainability to the environment. The essence of cell phones is to make and receive telephone calls over radio links while in motion. Geographical regions are divided into smaller areas refered to as cells, which are then networked through base stations. Apart from voice calls, cell phones also support many more services such as email, text messaging, wireless communications over short ranges, known as Bluetooth or infrared communication, internet access and applications such as photography and gaming (Balbuena 93). Analog radio communications used in trains and ships were among the early forerunners of the present day cell phones until the first handheld device was demonstrated in 1973 by Motorola. In less than a decade, other manufacturers had developed the first generation system, known as 1G, which was still based on analog technology but had the capability of supporting concurrent calls. Finland launched the 2G, or second generation, digital technology in 1991 on the global system of mobile communication standards (GSM), with Japan following with the 3G in 2001. All cell phones on the GSM platform use SIM cards (subscriber identification module) in order to be able to switch accounts among the handsets. The enhanced 3.5G, with HSPA (high speed packet access) was then developed to enable networks operate at higher capacity and speeds of data transfer. Applications that take up too much bandwidth were already threatening to overwhelm the 3.5G networks by 2009, prompting research into 4G technologies that resulted into WiMAX. WiMAX is capable of up to 10 times the speeds offered by the 3.5G networks. The cell phone’s evolution is not only contributing to its aesthetics, but its material composition as well. The average, modern model is made up of nine fundamental components, with three significant ones including the printed circuit board (PCB), battery and liquid crystal display screen (LCD). High end handsets that feature advanced computing capabilities use the same LCD screen, or touch screen, as an input mechanism through which users interact with their devices and also as a output that displays contacts and messages. Each has a definite life cycle and since not all are biodegradable, they can be recycled individually for different uses. Rapid technological advances, designed obsolescence and low acquisition costs are responsible for the ever-increasing surplus which in turn contributes towards the growing electronic waste (e-waste). The batteries, which are basically lithium-ion and rechargeable, provide power in order for the cell phone to operate. The PCB includes chips and mounted electronic components and its role in the cell phone is synonymous to that of the brain in living beings. It controls a cell phone’s functions and is responsible for the conversion of signals from analog to digital and vice versa. The outbound signals are converted to digital from analog while the inbound ones are converted back to analog from digital. The life cycle of a cell phone is relatively low, with owners using them for 18 months on average before replacing them (Farley 21). That is often regardless of the fact that they are still able to function much longer. A modern cell phone is generally made up of ceramics or trace materials, plastics and metal at 20, 40 and 40 percent respectively. The manufacture of the components and the cell phone itself uses energy and natural resources, which means they have the potential to impact water, land and the air. Apart from the composite product’s life cycle, each of a cell phone’s different components has its own life cycle, with each stage affecting the environment differently. The life cycle can be broken down into design, extraction of materials, processing of materials, manufacturing, packaging/transportation, use and then reuse, recycling and disposal (Geyer 519). Disposal can also be used to imply end of life. Comprehensive knowledge of their life cycle helps users make sound environmental choices about how they use and dispose of their cell phones. A cell phone’s design will influence each of its life cycle’s stages and consequently, the environment. The main reason is that the design will determine the materials that will eventually go into the production of the cell phone, a direct relation being the example of the relatively short lifespan of cheaper materials. The way a cell phone is designed also has the potential to prevent waste. The modular components design of cell phones is intended to avoid disposal of the entire phone when only one component goes faulty. Most cell phones are made from materials harvested and mined from the earth, which means that while the process uses a lot of energy, it also contributes directly towards pollution. Recycling of materials would be the best measure against such pollution. In the processing of cell phone materials to convert them into forms that can manufacture products, chemicals and natural gas are combined with crude oil to produce plastics. Copper is also mined, treated with electricity and chemicals after grinding and heating in order to isolate the pure metal for making PCBs. The manufacture of LCDs is by cramming liquid crystal between plastic or glass layers, while the battery is made up of separate and different metals known as electrodes. These manufacturing processes are also large consumers of energy and causes of pollution. The finished product is packaged and transported to end users but, just like packaging uses natural resources, the transportation within the supply chain, from manufacturers to wholesalers, distributors and users, also contributes to pollution. This is mainly from the emissions from the means of transport used. There are ongoing studies on the environmental and health impacts of using cell phones, but the devices are piling up e-waste in landfills because of their relatively short life cycle (Farley 38). However, if owners use them for longer or offer them for recycling, it will reduce the need to manufacture new ones from virgin materials and effectively, reduce material extraction and the associated pollutions. Cell phone batteries are conveniently portable and are lithium-ion-based. In comparison to other rechargeable batteries, they are compact and lightweight and have efficient rates of recharge, usually able to reclaim their total energy with every recharge (Balbuena 94). Although the lithium-ion batteries do not suffer much from effects of memory that drain power from other battery types, their efficiency is known to diminish with long usage. Usually, square or cylindrical in shape, the battery’s core is a lithium-ion cell made of different materials. To protect the chemicals from leaking out or mixing inside the battery, it is protected by a metal casing. The battery has two electrodes, the negative cathode made from pure carbon and the positive anode from lithium cobalt oxide. A gel polymer constitutes the electrolyte. There is a provision in the form of a hole in the outer case for releasing heat should the battery become too hot. Lithium is 100 percent recyclable but current economic situations do not provide practical reasons to recycle it. However, from the environmental perspective as well as avoiding being wasteful, there is every need to recycle lithium-ion batteries (Ogunseitan 314). The lithium-ion battery contains up to 13 percent of cobalt in weight, and more than 10,000 tons of cobalt is used annually to manufacture the batteries. Since landfills are increasingly running out of space, it would make a lot of sense to recycle the cobalt in end-of-life batteries. Further, because of the potential risk of contaminating water by the metals contained in lithium-ion batteries, it would be safer to recover them through recycling than disposing of them in landfills. In the United States, Call2Recycle is a non-profit organization that has been recycling lithium-ion batteries for 20 years as a free-of-cost option to owners of such batteries, businesses and municipalities (Call2Recycle 1). The Environmentally Protection Agency (EPA) has classified all battery types as hazardous household waste that need to be recycled like most other household wastes. Apart from cobalt, all of a battery’s parts can be reused in the making of other batteries. PCBs were invented in 1936 but their popularity grew in the 1950s with the increased use in the United States military in bomb detonators. In the modern technological world, they have become integral parts of cell phones. Before the custom PCB is made, the initial diagram of the electronic circuit needed is prepared by use of CAD software, or computer aided design. Common materials include aluminium, Bakelite, ceramic, Polyimide and Arlon (Ogunseitan 314). The thickness and size are reliant on the requirements, such as low-end feature phones or smart phones. With the use of photosensitive coating, the circuit is then printed on a board. Unnecessary copper is erased from the board, forming tracks refered to as traces in a process technically known as photoengraving. Two other methods that are commonly used in the development of connection of traces are PCB milling and silk-screening. In PCB milling, unnecessary copper is mechanically removed using machines, while in silk-screening special ink resistant to etch is employed, covering areas that require traces of copper to be made. When the copper is ready on the board, engineers drill holes into the boards or purposes of assembly with leaded electronic and electrical parts. Laser or tungsten carbide drill bits are the most applicable in the drilling process, and the holes are either coated with electroplating material or hollow rivets, which form electrical connections through the numerous layers. Next, the board is coated in its entirety with masking tape with the exception of the holes. Materials used commonly for this purpose include solder free of lead, lead solders, immersion gold, wire bondage and immersion silver (Farley 13). The PCBs are usually tested before delivery for possible open or short circuits, particularly in terms of components, that detect possible malfunctions of the entire circuit. Most of the parts are recyclable and are actually recycled by most manufacturers. Cell phone LCDs can either be input or output devices, through which users can interface with their phones and other users or see the content delivered and available to them. Visible characters are formed by the contrast between transparent and opaque areas on the screen. The LCD is basically a flat panel and low-power display that shows images and information because of its ability to become opaque when it has electric current flowing through it. Touchscreen devices are the ones that users can control via touching or gesturing with specially designed pens, stylus or their fingers. Others even require gloves coated specifically for such purposes. Those refered to as resistive touchscreens are comprised of several layers, with two thin layers being the most significant (Agar 69). With two layers facing each other, and a thin gap separating them, the one on top, that which is touched, comes with a coating on its underside and a similarly resistive layer directly below it. The other layer is comprised of conductive connections along the lengths of its sides, while the first has the conductive layers running along its bottom and top. When voltages are applied to any one of the layer, the other one senses them. Essentially, when the special input devices such as the stylus or coated gloves press down on the surface of the screen, the two layers will inevitably touch and connect at the point of pressure. This leads to the panels behaving like dividers of voltage an axis at a go. The fast switching between the layers makes it possible to read the screen by positioning the pressure. Other technologies such as surface acoustic wave, capacitive and surface capacitance exist. LCDs are recycled by several firms in the United States and the European Union (Ogunseitan 314). In conclusion, cell phones are among the most used electronic devices in the world today. By virtue of their low cost and relatively low costs, they are rapidly being phased out in their countries of manufacture of reaching their prescribed end of life. Most of the components used in their assembly or manufacture are environmentally sustainable, and can be reused, recycled or safely disposed of. The processes of extracting materials, manufacturing and using of the manufactured devices throughout their life cycles have detrimental effects to the environment (Ogunseitan 313). Further, once the devices complete their lifecycles and are not properly disposed, they contribute to the environmental harms that they caused during their useful lifetimes. This has made recycling a necessity in order to cut down on the effects which include pollution and environmental degradation. Electronic wastes that end up in landfills are also posing potential risks to water tables and call for more regulations aimed at reducing such wastes. Works Cited Agar, Jon. Constant Touch: a Global History of the Mobile Phone. Cambridge: Icon, 2004. Print. Balbuena, P. Lithium Ion Batteries: Solid Electrolyte Interphase. London: Imperial College Press, 2004. Print. Call2Recycle. Call2Recycle Celebrates 20 Years as Environmental Recycling Program Leader. 2014. Web. Farley, Tom. The Cell-Phone Revolution. NewYork: American Heritage, 2007. Print. Geyer, Roland. “The Economics of Cell Phone Reuse and Recycling.” The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology 47.8 (2009): 515-525. Ogunseitan, O. “The Basel Convention and E-Waste: Translation of Scientific Uncertainty to Protective Policy.” The Lancet - Global Health 1.6 (2013): 313-314. Read More