Contribuições das informações patentearias na prospeção de tecnologias para reciclagem dos resíduos de equipamentos eletroeletrônicos para obtenção dos elementos de terras raras

Abstract

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (REEEs) are sourced from a range of electronic products to be disposed of in inappropriate ways become dangerous to health and the environment. The electronic components used in circuit boards, as well as those used in the production of high-tech and energy equipment, have a number of compounds known as Rare Earth Oxides. Rare Earth Oxides are ores with properties very similar to each other, allowing several applications such as magnets, ... oil, among other technologies. Due to the strategic value in technology development and the export quota reduction policies pursued by China, the countries of the first world and the emerging countries, including Brazil, are seeking a way to reactivate the mining of Rare Earth Oxide. Countries like Japan and Canada invest in technologies for the recycling of electronic waste, whose purpose is the extraction of Rare Earth Oxides. The recycling of electronic waste requires innovative technologies that can be found in the worldwide patent databases such as the European Patent Office (EPO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). In this sense, this study aims to analyze the contributions of patents information as a source of technologies for recycling of REEEs the extraction of Rare Earth Oxides. This study was based on a qualitative study of exploratory and descriptive, using a documentary and bibliographic research, with applications techniques of technological prospects based on a survey of patents information. To collect patents information in the EPO database, used the search Crawler Patent2Net, which is a data mining tool available in Espacenet base. The results of the research showed that 17 patents are related in some way to obtaining Rare Earth Oxide, the raw materials used were the scraps of vehicles, by having electronic components (integrated circuits and boards). In search any patent related to the use of waste electrical and electronic equipment was not found. Patents found are not registered in Brazil, so they are available for use. The processes most commonly used in patents are the metallurgical and chemical, such as calcination, leaching and thermal treatments.