Television sets have undergone drastic changes in recent years thanks to the advent of LCD, LED and plasma flat screens. These new technologies have almost completely replaced the previous cathode ray tube (CRT) , once very common in homes. What many do not know is that this last type of television contains hazardous materials such as lead and phosphorus and must be disposed of according to proper guidelines.
A European project called GLASS PLUS ("Sustainable ceramic tiles from cathode ray tube") developed a couple of years ago a method to recover glass from CRT televisions that end up in recycling plants and use it as a raw material in the production of tiles high quality ceramics. By the end of the project in 2011, more than 600,000 square meters of ceramic tile had been produced and CRT waste destined for landfills had been reduced by nearly 3 .00 tons.
The key steps include the pretreatment of the CRT glass and its conversion to atomized powders , resulting in a high quality stoneware tile with advanced technical characteristics, useful for construction or decoration functions.
