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The need
Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) – every home in the UK has at least one, most will have several. They are on laptops, watches, fridges, cookers and televisions. Mass production and retail wars mean more people are able to buy and throw away LCD-based electronic equipment, but the materials used to make them are one of the fastest growing forms of waste in Europe – and among the hardest to dispose of.
LCDs are mainly in products covered by the EU Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive – so there are strict guidelines on their disposal. These guidelines could become even stricter following this year’s EU consultation.
Even so, WEEE waste is increasing by up to 28% every five years. As landfill runs out, the need to recycle more of the material is increasing.
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The results
The REFLATED project has developed new ways to disassemble LCDs and separate out the potentially hazardous components into new products. Each component – liquid crystal, indium metal, glass and polarizer plastic – can be reused in innovative applications.
The technology is unique to the UK and has enormous potential for the recycling industry. It is estimated that the recoverable materials have a potential value of $90m a year, and there has been interest from businesses in America and the Far East.
New market opportunities for liquid crystals include manufacture of lowpower displays without backlights, paper-like displays, head-mounted displays, and large flat displays (Frost & Sullivan, 2007). The LCD TV market
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alone is expected to grow by 17% by volume during 2009 compared to the previous year (DisplaySearch, 2008).
E-learning
Sheffield-based company Active Recycling Ltd has spent nearly a decade developing technology that can recover and recycle the waste materials from electronic gadgets.
From experience, Active Recycling realised that there was very little information to help companies address the principles of the EU’s WEEE Directive for the safe disposal of electronic equipment.
Spotting an opportunity, the company put together an e-learning package to enable other organisations and waste management companies to learn the skills needed.
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Competitive advantages
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According to Wrap, the UK recycling sector is currently worth £12bn – and set to grow to £20-30bn in the next 15 years. So there is clear potential for both the recovery of valuable LCD components and job creation via implementation of the WEEE Directive.
Modules in Active Recycling’s e-learning course in how to use the WEEE Directive and how to disassemble units such as LCDs, have been accredited by the Chartered Institution of Wastes
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Management as an industry-recognised standard, and could be worth up to £50m a year to the environmental and educational sectors.
Pilot workshops in three UK prisons have already proved a success in training 300 prisoners, and the e-learning package could be rolled out across many more as part of a programme to re-skill offenders for this new growth industry by the time they are released.
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‘We’ve developed a technology that can give something back, not only to the environment but to those who want to learn how to protect it.’
Peter Murphy, Managing Director of Active Recycling Ltd.
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Reference number
21061
Funding
Total project cost £1.74m
Technology Strategy Board investment
£880,000
Partners
Active Recycling Ltd, Active Disassembly Research Ltd, Critical Processes Ltd, C-Tech Innovation Ltd, Engelhard Sales Ltd, Glass Technology Services Ltd, NIS Ltd, Sims Group UK Ltd, University of York
Project duration August
2006 – August 2009
Contact
Peter Murphy
Active Recycling Ltd
Sheffield
T 07921 611 555
E peter.murphy
@activerecycling.com
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