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Faster technology development, increasing of living standard and market availability are the main causes of faster obsolescence of electronic devices. Each electronic device contains printed circuit boards that are a valuable source of metal. The paper presents the results of preliminary research of the possibility for using various mineral processing methods in recycling of waste printed circuit boards. The gravity concentration (concentration table and Humphreys spiral concentrator), electrostatic separation and wet magnetic separation were used in this preliminary research and the obtained results were presented in the article., Szybki rozwój technologii, podwyższenie standardu życia i dostępność na rynku to główne przyczyny szybszego starzenia się urządzeń elektronicznych. Każde urządzenie elektroniczne zawiera płytki drukowane, które są cennym źródłem metalu. W pracy przedstawiono wyniki wstępnych badań możliwości zastosowania różnych metod przeróbki surowców w recyklingu zużytych obwodów drukowanych. W tych wstępnych badaniach wykorzystano wzbogacalnik grawitacyjne (stół wstrząsany i wzbogacalnik spiralny Humphreya), separację elektrostatyczną i separację magnetyczną na mokro, uzyskane wyniki przedstawiono w artykule.

The gravel in the Sava-river bed contains coal particles that after classifying remain in the sand and so make it practically imposible to use it in construction works. The coal quantity varies: in the size class - 4 mm it fluctuates from 0.5 to 2 %, in the relatively narrow classes, e.g. 2/1 mm or 1/0.5 mm, there it raises up to 6 %. The possibilities of separation of the sand and coal, e.g. sand cleaning, was tested by standard gravity concentration equipment: jigs, spirals and concentration tables. The following size classes were treated: 4/1, 2/1, 4/0.5, -1, 1/0.5 and -0.5 mm, with coal shares of 1, 3 and 6 %. The best results gave the jigging tests and the highest recovery values for the sand were obtain by the Humphreys spiral.

Sve kraći uporabni vijek elektroničkih uređaja i opreme posljedica je sve bržeg razvoja i usvajanja novih tehnologija, te uzrok eksponencijalnog rasta količina električnog i elektroničkog otpada, kako na globalnoj razini, tako i u RH, a isti trendovi mogu se očekivati i u budućnosti. Recikliranje kao integralni dio suvremenog sustava gospodarenja otpadom omogućava dobivanje sekundarnih sirovina, čime se smanjuje količina otpada i prostor potreban za njegovo odlaganje, štede se primarne sirovine i smanjuju emisije u okoliš pri proizvodnji novih proizvoda, itd. Osnovni cilj kojem se teži u recikliranju je separirati različite materijale sadržane u otpadu u zasebne produkte koji se mogu upotrijebiti kao sekundarna sirovina i koji kao takvi imaju određenu tržišnu vrijednost. Preduvjet uspješne separacije je postizanje raščina, tj. oslobađanje međusobno (mehanički, kemijski ili termički) spojenih različitih materijala. Uspjeh recikliranja električnog i elektroničkog otpada ovisi o značajkama otpada, separacijskih postupaka i uređaja koji se pri tome primjenjuju, te naravno uvjetima (vrijednosti radnih varijabli uređaja) u kojima se separacija izvodi. Prva faza procesa recikliranja sastoji se od ručne demontaže i izdvajanja krupnijih dijelova otpadnih uređaja, pri čemu se izdvaja veći udio željeza, bakra, stakla i plastike. Ostale dijelove potrebno je usitniti zbog postizanja raščina, a zatim prikladnim separacijskim postupcima izdvajati pojedine vrste materijala. U ovom radu su iz televizijskih aparata ručnom demontažom izdvojeni uz kučište i veliki kondenzatori i katodne cijevi koje sadrže fosforni prah i kadmij, te su zbog nemogućnosti sigurnog ispitivanja isključene iz daljnjeg ispitivanja. Izdvojena drvena kučišta isključena su iz daljnjeg ispitivanja jer je s vremenom došlo do kontaminacije štetnim tvarima kao što su krom, olovo, živa, sumpor, nikal, cink i sl., a u plastična kučišta umiješani su bromirani inhibitori gorenja koji, i u vrlo malim količinama, kontaminiraju plastiku čineći je nepogodnom za dobivanje nove plastike. Ostali materijal je, s obzirom na svoje značajke, podijeljen u tri grupe koje su ispitivane zasebno. Grupa nazvana „Zvučnici“ sastavni je dio audio sustava, a sadrži najviše željeza i nešto manje bakra u svitcima, uz plastiku, karton i tekstil. Grupa „Otklonski svitci, kabeli, konektori i žice“ ima veliku zastupljenost bakra, a treća grupa „Tiskane pločice“ uz vodljivu bakrenu strukturu sadržava i mnoštvo rijetkih metala na nevodljivoj osnovi (vitroplast, pertinks). Za svaku od prethodno navedenih grupa sastavljen je zaseban plan istraživanja. Za sve grupe prvo je provedeno sitnjenje u cilju postizanja raščina, zatim sijanje za dobivanje klasa pogodnih za testove u pojedinim separatorima. Plan testiranja separacije u zračnoj struji i elektrostatičke separacije sastavljen je uz upotrebu statističkog planiranja eksperimenata u programskom sustavu Statistica (Version 8, tvrtke StatSoft) prema centralno složenom dizajnu (Central Composite Design) koji uključuje 17 pokusa za svaku klasu na pojedinom uređaju. Analizom varijance utvrđen je utjecaj pojedine nezavisne varijable odnosno utjecaj međudjelovanja po dvije (od tri testirane) nezavisne varijable na jednu od dvije zavisne varijabli (kvaliteta koncentrata ili maseno iskorištenje) uz procjenu veličine tog utjecaja. Utjecaj pojedinih varijabli u gravitacijskoj i magnetskoj separaciji testiran je na način da je mijenjana vrijednost jedne varijable, dok su sve ostale držane konstantnim. Testovi separacije u zračnoj struji pokazali su da na kvalitetu koncentrata najveći utjecaj ima visina pregrade, a najmanji brzina zračne struje, a od međudjelovanja varijabli najviše utječe visina pregrade i položaj ulaznog otvora. Visina pregrade u svim slučajevima imala je najveći utjecaj na iskorištenje. Najbolji rezultati (kvaliteta koncentrata od 99 % do 100 % uz iskorištenja od 80 % do 99 %) postizani su separacijom zrna većih od 2 mm (klase 4/2 mm i 3,15/2 mm), a sa smanjenjem veličine zrna smanjivala se i efikasnost separacije. Elektrostatičkom separacijom postizala se visoka kvaliteta koncentrata u svim klasama, a najbolji rezultati dobiveni su u testovima s najkrupnijom klasom (4/2 mm). U svim testovima najveći utjecaj imao je položaj separacijskog noža. Kada se razmotre međudjelovanja varijabli, najveći utjecaj imalo je međudjelovanje položaja separacijskog noža s naponom ionizacijske elektrode i s brzinom okretanja bubnja. Rezultati dobiveni magnetskom separacijom pokazali su da je u najvećem broju slučajeva (pogotovo za krupnije klase) mokra separacija bolja od suhe, dok su se razlike smanjivale sa smanjenjem veličine zrna. Najbolji rezultati i mokre niskointenzivne i suhe visokointenzivne magnetske separacije postignuti su s najsitnijom klasom, -0,5 mm. Testovi gravitacijske koncentracije pokazali su da je za kvalitetniji koncentrat potrebno raditi s manjim nagibima ploče koncentracijskog stola. Temeljem dobivenih rezultata predložena je segregacijska shema recikliranja elektroničkog otpada. Osnovna hipoteza ovog rada, da se uređaji i postupci koji se koriste u oplemenjivanju mineralnih sirovina mogu koristiti i za recikliranje električnog i elektroničkog otpada potvrđena je temeljem rezultata provedenih ispitivanja., The ever shorter life cycle of electronic devices and equipment is a consequence of increasingly quick development and adoption of new technologies, and a reason for exponential growth of the quantity of electrical and electronic waste, both at the global level and in the Republic of Croatia, and identical trends can be anticipated also in the future. Recycling as an integral part of the contemporary waste management system enables obtaining of secondary raw materials, whereby the quantity of waste and the space necessary for its disposal are reduced, primary raw materials are saved and environmental emissions occurring at manufacturing of new products are reduced. The basic goal striven for in recycling is to separate the different materials contained in waste into separate products which can be used as secondary raw material and which as such have a certain market value. A precondition for successful separation is to achieve liberation of different mutually (mechanically, chemically or thermally) connected materials. The success in recycling electrical and electronic waste depends on the characteristics of waste, the applied separation procedures and devices, and of course on the conditions (values of operating variables of the devices) in which separation is carried out. The first phase of the recycling process consists of manual dismantling and separation of larger parts of waste devices, whereby a larger share of iron, copper, glass and plastic materials is separated. The remaining parts need to be shredded in order to achieve liberation, and thereupon, by appropriate separation procedures, the single types of material shall be separated. In this dissertation beside enclosures and large condensers and cathode tubes containing phosphorus powder and cadmium have been manually separated from TV sets, and due to the impossibility of their save testing have been excluded from further testing. The separated wooden enclosures have been excluded from further testing, since over time contamination has occurred by harmful substances such as chrome, lead, mercury, sulphur, nickel, zinc, etc., whereas plastic enclosures contain brominated burning inhibitors, which even in very small quantities contaminate plastic materials rendering them inappropriate for obtaining new plastic. The remaining material has been divided according to its characteristics into three groups which have been tested separately. The group called „Loudspeakers“ is an integral part of the audio system and it contains the highest quantity of iron and somewhat less copper in yokes, as well as plastic, cardboard and textile. In the group „Yokes, cables, connectors and wires“ copper is represented to a high degree, and the third group of „Printed circuit boards“ contains, in addition to the copper conductor structure, also a lot of rare metals on a nonconductor basis (vitroplast, pertinax). For each of the previously indicated groups a separate test plan has been developed. For all groups shredding has been carried out first, in order to achieve liberation, followed by sieving in order to obtain classes appropriate for tests in individual separators. The test plan for air and electrostatic separation has been developed by using statistical planning of experiments under application of the programme system Statistica (Version 8, StatSoft) according to a central composite design (Central Composite Design), including 17 tests for each class on the individual device. By analysing the variance, the impact of the individual independent variable as well as the impact of the interaction of two (out of the three tested) independent variables on one (out of the two) dependent variables (concentrate quality or mass recovery), along with the assessment of this impact, has been determined. The impact of individual variables in gravitation and magnetic separation has been tested in such a way that the value of one variable was changed, while all the other variables were kept constant. Air separation tests have shown that the height of the compartment barrier has the highest impact on the quality of the concentrate, and airstream speed has the least impact, whereas with regard to the interaction of the variables, the barrier height and the position of the inlet have the highest impact. In all cases the barrier height had the highest impact on recovery. Best results (concentrate quality from 99 % to 100 % with recovery from 80 % to 99 %) were achieved at separation of grain larger than 2 mm (class 4/2 mm and 3,15/2 mm), whereas with reduced grain size separation efficiency decreased as well. By electrostatic separation high quality of concentrate has been achieved in all classes, and best results have been obtained in tests with the coarsest grain class (4/2 mm). In all tests the position of the separation knife had the largest impact on concentrate quality. Regarding interactions of the variables the interaction of the separation knife position with the voltage of the ionising electrode and the drum rotation speed had the highest impact. The results obtained by magnetic separation have shown that in most cases (in particular for coarser grain classes) wet separation is better than dry separation, whereas differences decreased with the decrease in the grain size. Best results of both the wet lowintensity and dry high-intensity separation were achieved with the smallest class, -0,5 mm. Tests of gravity concentration have shown that in order to achieve a better quality of the concentrate of better quality, concentration table should operate with smaller inclinations of the plate. Based on the obtained results a segregation scheme for electronic waste recycling has been proposed. The basic hypothesis of this dissertation, namely that the devices and procedures used in mineral processing can also be used for recycling electrical and electronic waste, has been confirmed by the results of the testing carried out.

Električni i elektronički (EE) otpad predstavlja sve veći problem za sustav gospodarenja otpadom. Recikliranje EE otpada se nameće kao rješenje tih problema. Recikliranjem, osim što se smanjuju količine otpada i štetnost za okoliš, dobivaju se i vrijedne sekundarne sirovine. Litij-ionske baterije čine značajan udio u ukupnim količinama EE otpada s tendencijom povećanja zbog sve raširenije primjene, ponajprije u pametnim telefonima, prijenosnim računalima te električnim i hibridnim vozilima. Postojeće tehnike i tehnologije recikliranja Li-ionskih baterija ostavljaju prostora za napredak, ponajprije u pogledu utjecaja na okoliš. Stoga je u ovome radu ispitana učinkovitost oslobađanja elektrodnog materijala (litij-kobalt oksida i grafita) iz litij-ionskih baterija, kao jednog od segmenata reciklažnog procesa, primjenom atricijskog čišćenja pri različitim vrijednostima radnih parametara. Usitnjeni materijal je preduvjet za primjenu atricijskog čišćenja. Stoga je ispitana i učinkovitost oslobađanja elektrodnog materijala uslijed sitnjenja u reznom mlinu te je određena ukupna učinkovitost reciklažnog procesa koji uključuje oba postupka. Rezultati ispitivanja ukazuju da atricijsko čišćenje elektroda Li-ionskih baterija, kao postupak oslobađanja elektrodnog materijala, ima značajno manji štetan utjecaj na okoliš i manje pogonske troškove u odnosu na konkurentske postupke uz relativno visoku učinkovitost. Obzirom na takve rezultate postoji potencijal za primjenu atricijskog čišćenja u procesima recikliranja litij-ionskih baterija., Electrical and electronic (EE) waste is a growing problem for the waste management. Recycling of EE waste is a solution for these problems. In addition to reduce waste and environmental damage, recycling also provides valuable secondary raw materials. Lithium-ion batteries make a significant share of total EE waste with a tendency to increase. Existing techniques and technologies for recycling Li-ion batteries leave room for improvement, primarily in terms of environmental impact. Therefore, the separation efficiency of electrode material (lithium-cobalt oxide and graphite) from lithium-ion batteries is determineted in this paper, as one of the segments of the recycling process, by using attrition scrubbing. Shredded material is a prerequisite for the application of attrition scrubbing. Therefore, the separation efficiency of electrode material due to grinding in a mill to the class of -8 mm was examined and the overall efficiency of the recycling process, which involves both procedures, was determined. Test results indicate that attrition scrubbing of the electrodes of Li-ion batteries, as the process of the separation of electrode material from metal foils, has significantly lower negative impact on the environment and lower operating costs compared to competing processes with relatively high efficiency. Given such results, there is potential for the application of attrition scrubbing in lithium-ion battery recycling processes.

U današnje vrijeme EE otpad je postao veliki problem zbog sve većih količina, a njegovo zbrinjavanje briga je svih zemalja. Najveći problem predstavlja opasni otpad zbog svojih opasnih komponenti, koje štete okolišu i zdravlju ljudi. Najveće količine EE opreme obuhvaćaju mobilne telefone, kojih je sada već oko sedam milijardi, a svake godine se očekuje sve veća količina mobilnih telefona, od kojih će većina nakon korištenja biti odložena na odlagalište otpada. U radu su prikazane glavne karakteristike EE otpada, njegovo pravilno prikupljanje i recikliranje te očekivani trendovi EE otpada u budućnosti. Cilj je izdvojiti što veći udio korisne komponente odnosno metala iz mobilnih telefona, primjenom elektrostatičke separacije. Bolji rezultati dobiveni su separacijom sitnije klase 1/0,5 mm u odnosu na krupniju klasu 2/1 mm., At the present time the waste has become a big problem because of the large and growing quantity, and its management is the concern of all countries. The biggest problem is a hazardous waste due to its hazardous components, which are harmful to the environment and human health. The greatest amount of electrical and electronic equipment includes mobile phones which have been amount to over seven billion pieces so far and an increase of their number is to be expected every year, most of them ending up on waste disposal after being used. This paper describes the main characteristics of e-waste and its proper collecting and recycling, as well as the anticipated trends of e-waste disposal in the future. The objective is to separate the largest possible share of the useful component, i.e. metal, using the electrostatic separation. Better results were obtained by separation finer grain size of 1/0.5 mm than the coarser one (2/1 mm).

Porastom količina otpada postajemo sve svjesniji problema potrebe za zbrinjavanjem toga otpada. Odlaganje na odlagalištima nije pogodno zbog opasnih tvari koje se mogu naći u otpadu te zbog gubitka sekundarnih sirovina koja ostaju odložena na odlagalištima. U radu su prikazane količine elektroničkog otpada koje danas nastaju i za koje se očekuje rast u budućnosti te propisi koje donosi europska komisija kako bi potaknula recikliranje elektroničkog otpada. Provedena su ispitivanja u svrhu recikliranja integriranih krugova metodama za oplemenjivanje mineralnih sirovina (gravitacijska koncentracija, elektrostatička koncentracija i separiranje u zračnoj struji), te su utvrđeni tehnološki pokazatelji separacije za korištene postupke., With the increasing amount of waste we become aware of the problems with the need for disposal of waste. Landfilling is not suitable because of hazardous substances that can be found in the WEEE waste and because of the loss of raw materials which remain deposited in landfills. This paper presents the data about the amount of WEEE which nowadays is generated and which rates are expected to grow in the future, as well as regulations issued by the European Commission to encourage the recycling of WEEE. Tests were carried out for the purpose of recycling integrated circuits by methods for mineral processing (gravity concentration, electrostatic concentration and separation in the air flow), and technological indicators have been calculated for used separation methods.

U današnje vrijeme otpad je postao veliki problem zbog velikih količina, a njegovo zbrinjavanje briga svih zemalja. Najveći problem predstavlja opasni otpad zbog svojih opasnih komponenti, koje štete okolišu i zdravlju ljudi, te se zbog toga moraju izdvojiti i zbrinuti na adekvatan način, a neopasni dijelovi ponovno iskoristiti. U ovom istraživanju provedeno je ispitivanje recikličnosti bakra elektrostatičkom separacijom iz samljevenih tiskanih pločica koje spadaju u opasni elektronički otpad. Tiskane pločice sadrže različite plemenite metale poput bakra, srebra i paladija. Cilj je izdvojiti što veći udio korisne komponente odnosno bakra, primjenom elektrostatičke separacije. Provedeno je ukupno 30 ispitivanja na 3 različite veličine zrna. U dobivenom koncentratu određen je udio bakra, utvrđeni su tehnološki pokazatelji separacije te analiziran utjecaj pojedinih parametara na učinkovitost separacije., At the present time the waste has become a big problem because of the large quantity, and its management is the concern of all countries. The biggest problem is a hazardous waste due to its hazardous components, which damage the environment and human health, and therefore must be separated and disposed of in an appropriate manner, and non hazardous components should be reused.In this study, a survey of recyclability copper electrostatic separation from milled printed circuit board swhich are hazardous electronic waste is conducted. Printed circuit boards contain a variety of precious metals such as copper, silver and palladium. The objective is to separate the largest possible share of the useful component,i.e.copper, using the electrostatic separation. Three different grain sizes were tested through 30 tests. In cunducted tests, the copper content in the concentrate and technological indicator of separation are determined. Analyzes of the effect of various parameters on separation efficiency was also carried out.

Električna i elektronska oprema (EE oprema) već duže vremena spada u najrašireniju industriju na svijetu. Kako raste proizvodnja tako raste i količina otpada koju je potrebno zbrinuti. Najveće količine električne i elektronske opreme obuhvaćaju mobilne telefone, kojih je sada već oko sedam milijardi, a svake godine se očekuje sve veća količina mobilnih telefona, od kojih će većina nakon korištenja biti odložena na odlagalište otpada. U ovom radu opisani su dijelovi mobitela, njihove količine te metode izdvajanja korisnih metala. Prema dobivenim rezultatima, vidljivo je da se elektrostatičkom separacijom ne mogu dobiti zadovoljavajući rezultati. Koncentracijski stol se pokazao dobrim uređajem za izdvajanje metala, s tim da bi se moglo postići i daljnje izdvajanje određenih vrsta metala ostalim metodama separacije., Electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) has been one of the widest spread industries in the world for quite a while. As production grows so grows the amount of WEEE (Waste electrical and electronic equipment). The greatest amount of electrical and electronic equipment includes mobile phones which have been over seven billion pieces so far and an increase of their number is to be expected every year and most of them ending up on waste disposal after being used. In this paper the pieces of cell phones, their amount and the method of extracting useful metals are described. According to the results, it is obvious that it is not possible to get satisfactory results by electrostatic separation. Shaking table has proved as a good device for extracting metal and there could be a further isolation of certain types of metal achieved by other methods of separation.

U ovom diplomskom radu opisane su različite vrste električnih žarulja te postupci njihovog recikliranja u svijetu i Hrvatskoj. Električne žarulje spadaju u EE opremu, koja je jedna od najraširenijih industrija u svijetu. Rastom proizvodnje EE opreme, raste i količina otpada koju je potrebno zbrinuti. Žarulje sadrže i opasne materijale, poput žive, koje je potrebno odvojiti i zbrinuti na poseban način. Kako žarulje u sebi sadrže korisne materijale, u ovom radu opisane su tehnologije dobivanja sekundarnih sirovina iz žarulja te su testirane neke druge metode separacije u eksperimentalnom dijelu rada. Prema dobivenim rezultatima vidljivo je da se samo drobljenjem i sijanjem može izdvojiti aluminij. Magnetskom separacijom učinkovito su izdvojeni magnetični dijelovi žarulje, a zračnom separacijom nisu dobiveni zadovoljavajući rezultati., In this master`s thesis, I have described different types of electric light bulbs, as well as the procedures of their recycling in the world and in Croatia. Electric light bulbs are classified as Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE), which is one of the most widespread industries in the world. As EEE production increases, so does the amount of waste that needs to be managed. The light bulbs contains hazardous materials, such as mercury, which needs to be separated and handled properly. Given that the light bulbs also contains useful materials, in this paper I have described the technologies of obtaining secondary raw materials from light bulbs, as well as some other metods of separation that I have tested in the experimental part of the work. According to the results, it is evident that aluminium can be extracted only by crushing and sieving. Magnetic separation has been proven effective in separating magnetic parts of the light bulbs, and the air separation did not give satisfactory results.

Sa porastom količina otpada postajemo sve svjesniji problema potrebe za zbrinjavanjem toga otpada. Odlaganje na odlagalištima nije pogodno zbog opasnih tvari koje se mogu naći u električnom i elektroničkom otpadu te zbog gubitka sekundarnih sirovina koja ostaju odložena na odlagalištima. Provedena su ispitivanja u svrhu recikliranja UTP i STP kabela metodama za oplemenjivanje mineralnih sirovina te su utvrđeni tehnološki pokazatelji separacije za korištene postupke. Metode koje su korištene za izdvajanje bakra iz navedenih kabela su postupci oplemenjivanja mineralnih sirovina na koncentracijskom stolu i spiralnom žlijebu., With the increasing amount of waste we become aware of the problems with the need for disposal of waste. Landfilling is not suitable because of hazardous substances that can be found in the WEEE waste and because of the loss of secondry materials which remain deposited in landfills. Test were carried out for the purpose of recycling UTP and STP cables by methods of mineral processing, and tehnological indicators for separation procedures are determined. Metodes that were used to separating copper from these cables are mineral processing procedures at a shaking table and a spiral sluice.

Razvojem tehnologije raste potražnja za elektroničkim uređajima, koji ubrzo bivaju zastarjeli te postaju EE otpad. Svaki takav uređaj sadrži tiskane pločice kao sastavni dio, koje odbacivanjem postaju važna sekundarna sirovina iz koje recikliranjem možemo pridobiti važne materijale. U radu su prikazane glavne karakteristike elektroničkog otpada, te njegovo pravilno prikupljanje i recikliranje, kao i trendovi EE otpada u budućnosti. Uz ispitivanja provedena u cilju pronalaženja optimalnih postupaka za recikliranje tiskanih pločica metodama oplemenjivanje mineralnih sirovina utvrđeni su tehnološki pokazatelji separacije tih ispitivanja., With the development of technology, demand for electronics is constantly increasing, therefore electronics quickly become outdated. Every device of this kind contains printed circuit boards as an integral part. With their disposal electronics become an important secondary raw material from which we can gain valuable recycling materials. The master's thesis describes the main characteristics of e-waste and its proper collecting and recycling, as well as the trends of e-waste in the future. Laboratory tests were performed in order to find the optimal processes for recycling printed circuit boards by mineral processing methods, and technological indicators of separation were identified.

Područje zbrinjavanja otpada danas je jedno od ključnih područja u zaštiti okoliša. U svijetu, Europi i Hrvatskoj prevladava trend porasta količina otpada, pri čemu je najčešća metoda zbrinjavanja odlaganje. Recikliranje otpada još uvijek nije dovoljno zastupljeno. Upotreba električnih i elektroničkih uređaja široko je raširena i znatno opterećuje okoliš. Sve veća proizvodnja električnih i elektroničkih uređaja ima za posljedicu sve veće količine električnog i elektroničkog otpada (EE otpada). Recikliranje EE otpada specifično je po nužnoj separaciji različitih vrsta materijala kako bi se izbjegla degradacija svojstava reciklata. U ovom radu istražena je mogućnost separacije različitih vrsta materijala koje se nalaze u elektrolitskim kondenzatorima primjenom metoda oplemenjivanja mineralnih sirovina (separacija u zračnoj struji, separacija na koncentracijskom stolu i pliva-tone separacija) Eksperimentalno je utvrđen utjecaj pojedinih radnih parametara uređaja i svojstava ulaznog materijala na uspješnost separacije, kvalitetu produkata i iskorištenje korisnih komponenti. Rezultati su pokazali da se metal aluminij može uspješno separirati iz elektrolitskih kondenzatora primjenom metoda oplemenjivanja mineralnih sirovina., Waste management today is one of the key areas in environmental protection. Both in the world and in Europe and Croatia, there is a prevailing trend of waste growth, while the most common method used continues to be waste disposal. Recycling of waste is still not sufficiently widespread. The use of electric and electronic equipment is very common and puts a significant strain on the environment. Ever growing production of electric and electronic equipment has a great consequence of increasing EE waste. EE waste recycling is specific for its necessary separation of different types of materials in order to avoid the degradation of recyclat properties. This paper tries to explore the possibility of separation of different types of materials from a electrolytic capacitors using the mineral processing methods: air stream separation, wet shaking table separation and sink-float separation. Experiments have shown the effects of certain operating device parameters and properties of the input material on separation efficiency, product quality and yield of useful components. Obtained results have shown that metal aluminum can be successfully separeted from electrolytic capacitors using the mineral processing methods.