Recycling Lives, a leading commercial recycler based in Preston, has become the first company in England to set up a fully dedicated processing centre for Flat Panel Display (FPD) televisions and computer screens.
The processing centre aims to tackle the complexity of FPDs, the time involved in dismantling them, and the dangerous mercury backlights that are also present in each unit.
The centre breaks down FPD disassembly into four stages for efficiency, taking into account research that looked at the most effective methods for cathode ray tube (CRT) recycling.
The £250,000 Recycling Lives centre has also been developed under the guidance of industry experts, including Timothy McDonnell, a leading researcher and writer of a doctoral thesis on FPDs from the University of Central Lancashire.
The increases in speed and effectiveness that have come from the research mean Recycling Lives anticipates that their FPD line could process up to 1,000 units a day.
The centre also takes into account the lighting tubes behind FPD screens, which release toxic mercury vapours that are harmful to both the environment and to the staff who are processing them, and have caused many waste management companies to shy away from recycling such units.
This has resulted with significant investment into health and safety testing, sophisticated mercury analysing equipment, and a specially designed mercury-safe dismantling room. In addition, specialist protective equipment and training on how to work safely in a potentially hazardous environment has been given to all staff.
The process works by staff removing the plastic and metal components from the FPD units, and then sealing the remaining FPD screen and mercury-filled fluorescent tubes in the mercury-safe room.
The staff members working in this room are rotated at regular short intervals, in order to minimise the strain caused by working in face-masks and bodysuits as they separate the mercury back lights from the FPD screens.
The air in the room is replaced once every sixty seconds and all mercury is treated, sucked out into a separate unit and stored away from all other areas in preparation for external recycling.
David Allen, strategic development manager at the Recycling Lives FPD processing plant commented:
“Our ground-breaking flat panel display recycling facility is the result of years of study in conjunction with the University of Central Lancashire into the issues and complexities of FPD recycling.
“All aspects of the process have been carefully considered and the resultant processing line which has been developed is something we are very proud of at Recycling Lives.
“It is very important to us that we have a line which is a flagship FPD facility and sets the trend for how to correctly handle these units. We are now keen to engage with as many stakeholders as possible to ensure we can operate the line to as near to its capacity as possible.”
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