Toxic Waste Televisions - Problem Solved
Toxic Waste Televisions: Problem Solved (June 2008)
UK recycling and research company Nulife Glass has resolved the toxic problem of poisonous lead in the glass from waste televisions and computer monitors by discovering a unique solution to separate the lead (Pb) from the leaded glass structure in cathode ray tubes (CRTs).
There are three main aspects to consider relating to waste televisions and computer screens: the effects of lead, new legislation and the increasing volume of waste. The dangerous impact of lead poisoning in the human body, especially on the nervous system, and on our environment is well documented. It is presently banned in fuel, paint and pipes and more recently on all new electronics under the new RoHS Directive.
If CRTs go to landfill the acidic nature of ground water accelerates the lead to leach into watercourses. The lead content in the glass of a CRT can be as high as 20%, which means a single 34” television could contain more than 1kg of lead. In a bid to fight this problem new European legislation classifies the television and computer screen as Hazardous Waste. Under the new Landfill Directive CRTs cannot be disposed of in ordinary waste landfill. Added to this, the WEEE (Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment) Directive makes it obligatory to recycle our electronic waste from 1st July 2007.
In the UK alone, a conservative estimate suggests that there are approximately 60 million TV sets and 40 million computer screens. The sheer volume of waste we are creating, combined with the new legislation ensures our lead recovery process is essential in the UK’s fight to safely and easily recycle leaded glass. Until now there has been no long term solution to recycling TVs as there was no way to safely recover the lead content.
Nulife Glass can successfully recover the toxic lead from within the glass molecular structure and produce a usable glass feedstock making the recycling process 100% efficient. Until now the only option for the toxic waste glass has been to landfill it in the UK or ship small quantities overseas to be made into new CRT televisions. CRT televisions and computer screens will very soon cease to be made as manufacturing plants around the world shut down in favour of the flat plasma and TFT screens, and so this solution arrives just in time. To add to the waste arising due to breakdown and fashion trends, more TVs are going to become obsolete once the analogue signal switches off and only digital TVs will work. In the USA the date to switch to digital has been set for 17 Feb 2009, where it is estimated as many as 68 million TV sets could become waste overnight.
The equipment being made available to waste processors now from Nulife Glass consists of a unique furnace technology, which is described as “glass making in reverse” by the inventor of the technology, Simon Greer. The discovery to how the lead could be extracted from the glass on an industrial scale came after years of trials, stubbornness and a constant belief by the people involved that the goal could be achieved.
After careful dismantling, the plastic carcass surrounding each screen is recycled using established routes. The metallic components, e.g. copper yoke, shadow mask and circuit boards are stripped away and sent for precious, ferrous and non-ferrous metal recovery. The rear of the tube containing the leaded funnel and neck glass is separated from the lead free panel glass, ensuring no cross contamination of the two different glass types. The panel glass has a phosphor coating on the inside that needs to be removed, and then the panel is broken up and sent through a washing system where the phosphor is removed and captured in a reservoir for subsequent treatment. The leaded glass is then crushed and processed in our furnace. The process results in two distinct re-usable streams of clean, molten glass and lead, both of which can be immediately reprocessed. The company is now ready to show the equipment in full flow with both molten lead and glass pouring from the furnace's separate discharge points.
Further details of the product, company and process can be accessed at www.nulifeglass.com
Nulife Glass Ltd. Ruskin Glass Centre, Wollaston Road, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY8 4HF United Kingdom
t: +44 (0) 1384 399420 f: +44 (0) 1384 399401 Company Reg No: 4176584
Nulife Glass Ltd. Ruskin Glass Centre, Wollaston Road, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY8 4HF United Kingdom
t: +44 (0) 1384 399420 f: +44 (0) 1384 399401 Company Reg No: 4176584
