British Glass: "Reflated process" wins rushlight award

Tuesday, 17 February 2009 12:00 AM

The "Reflated Process", run by a consortium which includes consultancy Glass Technology Services (GTS) Ltd, is a process to efficiently and innovatively recycle liquid crystal displays (LCDs) which has recently won a Rushlight Award - the Rushlight Waste Recycling Award.

The Reflated Process treats the waste liquid crystal display screens, recovering the maximum value from the panels, including the liquid crystal, indium and glass. The process then integrates them into existing waste processing facilities.

"The project was very timely," explained Dr Brian Noble, Manager of GTS' Glass Melting Department. "We're all now used to flat panel TVs and monitors. But one thing that had not been considered was how to recycle them at the end of their useful life.

"Glass is a major component of LCDs with each screen comprising two glass sheets sandwiching a thin film of liquid crystal. GTS was asked to join the project to investigate how best the glass components of LCDs could be cleanly recycled."

The Rushlight Awards, held at the Connaught Rooms in London, celebrate the significant environmental, technical and innovative achievements of companies in the fields of renewable energy, clean fuels, power generation, water, recycling, waste and pollution management.

The Judges, environmental and government experts, said "The Reflated Consortium have identified a process which forms a novel approach to the entire treatment of waste LCD Screens. This is a clear technological advance allowing the treatment of a relatively new waste stream. It combines potentially significant environmental and economic benefits and we look forward to it making an impact soon."

Notes to Editors:

Glass Technology Services (GTS) has been helping companies globally for over 50 years to design, manufacture and bring glass products to market as well as playing an active role in glass research and development. It is an independent subsidiary of British Glass offering technical, analytical and environmental services and consultancy serving customers who manufacture, work with, or use glass.

Dr Brian Noble is a Senior Glass Technologist and Manager of the Glass Melting Department at GTS. He has experience of working on a large number of contracts and projects helping clients reformulate their glass composition to bring either cost or energy savings. He has also provided technical expertise for customers wanting innovative solutions to glass recycling or waste vitrification.

The Reflated Project is headed up by C-Tech Innovation Limited working in collaboration with many project partners, including Glass Technology Services Ltd.

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