Our technology wins the first prize from the Consumer Electronics Association and Innocentive among 357 proposals from all the world
The problem:
With the diffusion of the plasma and LCD screens, the old cathodic ray tube (CRT) is slowly disappearing. Milions of TV sets and monitors will have to be recycled. The CRT is made of glass with about 30% lead, becoming thus a material difficult to place in the market of the recycling or reuse. Furthermore, within 10 years there will be no more production of CRTs, hence no more demand for recycling them, so it is necessary to develop a process that does not require high investment, in order to build leaded glass recycling facilities that will surely have a short life.
It consists of a low cost chemical process that allows recovering the lead oxyde, which has an intereting market value and constant demand because it is the main material to make car batteries , paints and other products. The process requires very little energy, simple machinery and, most important, does not emit lead neither in water nor in the atmosphere.
Press releases:
web of Innocentive: https://www.innocentive.com/cea-edf-and-innocentive-announce-winners-open-innovation-eco-challenge-tackle-leaded-glass-tvs-monit
web of CEA (Consumer Electronics Association): http://www.ce.org/Press/CurrentNews/press_release_detail.asp?id=12311