THE RECYCLING OF END OF LIFE PANEL GLASS FROM TV SETS IN GLASS FIBRES AND CERAMIC PRODUCTIONS

摘要

The recycling of end of life (EOL) Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT) from TV sets and PC monitors is still an unsolved problem. In Western Europe about 99% of this material is land filled after dismantling. In the CRTs there are generally four different glass components: the panel, the funnel, the frit and the neck, each one having a particular chemical composition, very different from the others. Before being used as secondary raw material (SRM) for industrial applications, CRTs must undergo a suitable treatment consisting in the separation of the panel from the other components and the removal of all the potential pollutants such as metals, phosphorous coatings and organics. In this paper the chemical features of the different CRT components and the treatment process for EOL CRTs are described. Some laboratory and full scale tests for the re-use of CRT panel glass as SRM for the glass (insulating fibres and tableware) and ceramic (tiles glaze) industries are presented. The results are promising and indicate that there are good possibilities for the panel glass to be recycled in the glass and ceramic industries, provided that the constancy of the composition and the absence of toxic and pollutant compounds is ensured.