Environmental and economic evaluation of cathode ray tube (CRT) funnel glass waste management options in the United States

Qingbo Xu, Mengjing Yu, Alissa Kendall, Wenzhi He, Guangming Li and Julie M. Schoenung

Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 2013, vol. 78, issue C, 92-104

Abstract: The end-of-life waste management of cathode ray tube (CRT) funnel glass is a concern due to the high lead content (22%) within the glass. Inappropriate and insufficient waste management methods can lead to both health and climate impacts. This paper evaluates five waste management options: hazardous waste landfill, municipal waste landfill, pyrometallurgy, closed-loop recycling, and hydrometallurgy from environmental and economic standpoints. Environmental impacts are analyzed using two life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies: CML2001 and Eco-Indicator 99. Economic feasibilities are analyzed using the technical cost modeling (TCM) method and the cost, revenue, and profits associated with each waste management option are compared. Results show that discarded CRT funnel glass transportation has a significant effect on both the LCA and TCM results. By taking into account the transportation impact, all waste management options result in greenhouse gas emissions and reduced profit. A sensitivity analysis shows that the profit of closed-loop recycling, pyrometallurgy, and hydrometallurgy options all decrease with increases in transportation distance, while the hydrometallurgy option is less sensitive to the distance than the other two options. LCA results show that closed-loop recycling corresponds to the lowest human health and global warming impacts, followed by pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy. Landfill options would generate the most environmental impact. Closed-loop recycling, pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy generate more profits (110–450$/ton) than the landfill options (45$/ton). All in all, pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy are the most feasible recycling processes for implementation in the United States. Closed-loop recycling is not feasible because the CRT glass market in the U.S. has become obsolete. Overall, pyrometallurgy appears to be the most environmentally friendly and economical CRT funnel glass waste management option. However, the hydrometallurgy option represents the lowest human health impact due to minimized lead emissions. This option also has greater opportunity for process improvement and is more geographically flexible including the potential to be executed on-site, which allows this novel option the opportunity to become more competitive than the pyrometallurgy option if properly implemented.

Keywords: Funnel glass; Life cycle assessment (LCA); CML2001; Eco-Inventor 99; Technical cost modeling (TCM); Hydrometallurgy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:recore:v:78:y:2013:i:c:p:92-104

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.07.001

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