A large equipment acquisition company in Hong Kong: What is the recycling value of laboratory instruments and equipment?

The recovery value of laboratory instruments and equipment

I. Reuse value of core components: High-precision instruments have core revenue points

The core components of laboratory precision instruments are mostly industrial or research-grade, with high precision and durability. After being tested and calibrated, they can be directly reused or refurbished for circulation, and their value is much higher than that of ordinary electronic components:

• Analytical testing type: Gas chromatographs/liquid chromatographs, mass spectrometers' sensors, detectors, precision pump bodies, chromatography columns, spectrometers' gratings, photomultiplier tubes, electrodes of pH meters/electroconductivity meters, precision bearings and speed regulators of stirrers, eyepieces/objects of microscopes, optical lenses, etc., after calibration, can be used for maintenance and refurbishment of the same model instruments, and some imported original factory parts can cost several thousand to tens of thousands of yuan;

• Physical experiment type: Frequency-varying motors of centrifuges, rotors, intelligent temperature control modules and heating tubes of drying cabinets/culture cabinets, precision bearings and speed regulators of stirrers, eyepieces/object lenses and optical lenses of microscopes, are all easily-damaged and highly-demanding reusable components;

• General equipment type: Reverse osmosis membranes, resin filters, booster pumps of ultra-pure water machines, pressure sensors and temperature control sensors of refrigerators, after passing inspection and being qualified, can be directly replaced and used, significantly reducing the maintenance cost of the laboratory.

II. Precious metal extraction value: Hidden revenue from instrument circuits and core components

The circuits and core components of laboratory instruments are widely composed of precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium, etc. These precious metals are mostly in the form of electroplated layers or alloy components, and are among the categories with higher precious metal content in electronic waste, resulting in significant extraction benefits:

• Circuit boards: Main control boards and signal boards of precision instruments, their connectors and pins are mostly electroplated with gold/silver, the gold plating layer thickness is much higher than that of ordinary civilian electronic products, and the gold extraction amount of a single circuit board of some high-end analytical instruments can reach several grams;

• Core components: Ion sources, filament, catalytic components of mass spectrometers and spectrometers, platinum, palladium, rhodium and other rare precious metals in electrochemical workstations; The precious metal extraction value of these components is much higher than that of ordinary electronic waste;

• Metal structural components: Some high-end instruments' pipelines and seals are made of titanium alloys, stainless steel 316L and other special metals. After disassembly, they can be priced according to special metals, and the value is higher than ordinary scrap steel and aluminum.

III. Value of complete machines/complete machine refurbishment and re-circulation: Direct realization of value retention for low-loss instruments

Laboratory instruments in good condition, with low loss and intact functions, after professional inspection, calibration and refurbishment, can be circulated in the second-hand scientific equipment market, targeting small laboratories, university training bases, and scientific start-up enterprises, achieving significant value retention:

• General basic equipment: Centrifuges, pipettes, ultra-pure water machines, ordinary incubators, with 90% new or better condition, without malfunction, after refurbishment, can be sold at 30%-60% of the original price, being the mainstream demand category in the second-hand market;

• Mid-range analytical instruments: Gas chromatographs, atomic absorption spectrophotometers with usage years within 3 years and detection accuracy meeting standards, after calibration by the original factory or professional institutions, can be sold at 20%-40% of the original price, meeting the detection needs of small laboratories;

• Customized equipment: Some industry-specific laboratory equipment, if the accessories are complete and the functions are intact, can be directed to the same industry laboratories for directional circulation, with higher value retention rate.

IV. Environmental resource utilization value: Basic revenue and compliance guarantee for scrapped instruments

Laboratory instruments that are completely damaged and have no repair/dismantling value can be recycled as classified solid waste for environmental resource utilization, obtaining basic material benefits while meeting environmental protection compliance requirements, avoiding legal risks of random disposal:

• Metal components: Metal casings, supports, pipelines of the instruments, can be classified and recycled as scrap iron, scrap aluminum, scrap copper, stainless steel, etc., priced according to market metal prices; • Plastic components: Hard engineering plastics such as ABS and PP, after being crushed and sorted, can be used as raw materials for recycled plastics and generate basic recycling income;

• Glass components: Laboratory glass consumables such as beakers, colorimeters, glass tubing, etc., those without damage can be cleaned and reused, and those damaged can be recycled as waste glass resources.

V. Added Value: Cost savings and risk avoidance in compliant disposal

Laboratory instruments are mostly precision electronic devices, and some contain small amounts of toxic and harmful components (such as batteries, fluorescent screens, and a few chemical coatings). Properly recycling and disposing of them can avoid enterprises incurring environmental protection fines and solid waste disposal costs. This is also a hidden recycling value:

• Professional recycling institutions can provide solid waste disposal qualification certificates and recycling ledgers, meeting the regulatory requirements of environmental protection departments for laboratory hazardous waste/general industrial solid waste disposal;

• It can replace the labor and site costs of enterprises for self-disassembly and disposal, avoiding environmental pollution complaints and legal liabilities caused by non-standard disposal.

Priority of recycling value for different types of laboratory instruments

1. High value: High-end analytical instruments such as mass spectrometers, chromatographs, spectrometers (core components + precious metals);

2. Medium value: Precise general equipment such as centrifuges, ultrapure water machines, electrochemical workstations (core components can be reused + some precious metals);

3. Basic value: Basic equipment such as drying cabinets, incubators, pipettes (components can be reused + metal/plastic resource recycling);

4. Compliance value: Completely scrapped old instruments (solid waste classification resourceization + compliant disposal).

Mainland phone: 13049844111

Email address: 13049844111@163.com

Hong Kong phone: 852-52664790, Liangji Recycling and Reuse Co., Ltd. Looking forward to your call, together we will embark on a new chapter where environmental protection and value coexist! The Lianji recycling system has obtained certifications through international standards such as quality management (ISO 9001), environmental management (ISO 14001), and information security management (ISO 27001). It is safe, formal, and professional - we look forward to your call and are eager to jointly embark on a new chapter where environmental protection and value coexist!