Students work on smartphone sustainability project

This week Damian Bates and Hugo Dvorecky, from Atlas Copco Vacuum Technique, worked on a project with engineering students and Collyer’s Head of Engineering, Amarjit Chana. The task was to dismantle an old mobile phone to understand more about the components, what they do, how they are made, where they might come from, and how they can be recycled.

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Amarjit Chana explained: “The key elements the students had to analyse, while disassembling the mobile ‘phones, were the supply chain, sustainability, and the use of vacuum, materials, semiconductors, and manufacturing.

"The group analysed all the materials that have been used in the ‘phone, and assessed how many are toxic, use scarce resources, or are valuable, such as metal, plastic, glass, or ceramic.”

The groups were then tasked with disseminating their findings in a detailed presentation, taking the role of engineers informing business with this critical information.

Collyer's engineering students disassemble the 'phones

Mr Chana was delighted: “The students brief to Damian and Hugo looks to focus on the potential global environmental impact if the ‘phones cannot be recycled, assuming a user replaces their ‘phone every 5 years.

“These students excelled in this project and thoroughly enjoyed the input from industry professionals, who were truly inspiring.

"The engineering students’ presentations advise smart ‘phone sustainability.”

Collyer’s Work Experience Co-ordinator, Sarah Tillier, said: “Colossal thanks to Amarjit, Damian, Hugo, and all at Atlas Copco for creating this wonderful experience and educational opportunity for our engineering students.

"We are hugely grateful to them for taking time out to help the next generation of engineers.”