Acceso usuarios
Celso Arruda Vanderlei, Claudia Kniess, Luc Quoniam
Objective: To demonstrate the possibility of relating bibliographical review and patent technometry in a study on the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).Method: Technometry in patents using a mind map generated from the classification of 466 patent registers. The prospecting of patents was carried out through the software Patent2Net accessing the database of the European Patent Office (EPO).Originality/Relevance: Research in patent databases as a source of information has been growing substantially with advances in information technology, but the identification of relevant records in a given context from the large volume of data available is still a challenge. In this work, we have analysed a method that has not yet been published, which deals with patent technometry with the use of mind maps.Results: The patent records found were related to the main problems mentioned in the literature on WEEE recycling, involving the following aspects: a) separation of high-value components from other elements. b) reduction of the environmental impact of battery recycling; c) transformation of solid waste into material useful or harmless to the environment; d) separation of metals from plastic waste; e) solutions for the adequate collection of residues from the domestic environment; and e) techniques to reduce the health impact of recycling professionals.Theoretical/methodological contributions: Presentation of the method of patent analysis by mind maps as a complementary resource to bibliographic research in studies aimed at technological innovation.
