Title: Life cycle assessment of CRT lead recovery process

Authors: Lucio Compagno; Carlo Ingrao; Antonio Giuseppe Latora; Natalia Trapani

Addresses: Industrial Engineering Department (D.I.I.), University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy ' Industrial Engineering Department (D.I.I.), University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy ' Industrial Engineering Department (D.I.I.), University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy ' Industrial Engineering Department (D.I.I.), University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy

Abstract: In recent years, the high rate of technological obsolescence and subsequent replacement of ICT devices has led to a significant increase in waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and oriented institutional stakeholders to promote recycling and material recovery to prevent the dispersion of hazardous substances into the environment and wastage of valuable resources. For cathode ray tube (CRT) WEEE, the standard treatment of end-of-life CRTs generates leaded glass which is usually landfill-disposed after inertisation. An experimental treatment was designed and applied to a pilot plant to obtain valuable secondary raw materials (SRMs). The industrialisation phase of the treatment requires assessing its sustainability according to the life cycle assessment approach. The paper analyses this treatment and from the significant results suggests it is environmentally sustainable.

Keywords: life cycle assessment; LCA; waste electrical and electronic equipment; WEEE; cathode ray tubes; end-of-life CRTs; lead recovery; product lifecycle management; PLM; recycling; material recovery; leaded glass; secondary raw materials; environmental sustainability; sustainable development.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPLM.2014.065865

International Journal of Product Lifecycle Management, 2014 Vol.7 No.2/3, pp.201 - 214

Received: 05 Feb 2014
Accepted: 13 May 2014
Published online: 13 Dec 2014 *

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