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Bright future for picture-tube recycling

June 03, 2004

Millions of old television and computer picture tubes are thrown away each year, representing a major waste of resources and a toxic strain on our environment.

With research funding from Tekes, a Finnish company has come up with an efficient system to recover nearly all the useful material from cathode ray tubes (CRT's), while safely disposing of the poisonous elements.

"Our patented method using laser for cutting has several benefits: a very fast cycle time (under 30 seconds per unit), low usage cost per capacity, and eco-friendliness," says Proventia Automation Managing Director Markku Hakkarainen. "No liquids are needed, so no expensive waste-water treatment is needed, either."

The laser-based technology was developed by Proventia Automation, based in Oulu, Finland. The venture is part of a Tekes technology programme known as Streams - Recycling Technologies and Waste Management.

There is growing interest elsewhere in Europe in this technology. Hakkarainen aims to clinch several equipment delivery contracts in Central Europe within the next year. The first is set for this autumn, following a pilot facility in Forssa, Finland.

"Interest from Central Europe is very high and we have customers from various EU countries visiting our installation in Forssa almost every week," he says.

"CRT recycling with different techniques has been done in continental Europe for several years, mainly in Germany and the Netherlands. However, our solutions are 5-10 times faster than competing solutions."

"The EU's new Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive will increase CRT recycling in all member countries. It's estimated that approximately half a million CRTs annually will be ready for recycling in Finland alone over the next few years. This represents 7.5 thousand tons of glass material." Each 40 kg television set produces 35-38 kg of recoverable raw material.

In line with sustainable development principles, the processing is done in a closed system, with picture-tube glass returned immediately to manufacture new tubes. The tubes are processed automatically, with a laser beam precisely separating the cone and panel glass. This glass is shunted into two processing tracks, where they are cleaned and reverted into raw material.

Proventia has been studying the use of lasers in glass processing since 1999. Over the past year, Tekes funding has facilitated rapid advances in packaging and selling the system.

Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation