In the first step tension bands and shadow masks are taken out of the input material and the material is broken. After this the glass is sorted out in panel and funnel glass fractions. Afterwards these both fractions are cleaned, classified, homogenisized and analysed.

Technical development - the present state

Because of the rising amounts of EoL picture tubes in closed loop, a separation in panel and funnel glass is today absolutely necessary. Because also the panel glass cullet can be used for the production of a new panel glass, appropriate separation systems must be used. Manual sorting is uneconomical and is not used anymore. With help of modern separation technics the material stream is separated in panel and funnel glass cullet.
These products can not only be used in picture tube industry, but also in other glass products. A recycling, conforming to WEEE, can be ensured by this way also after no picture tubes will be produced.

• Treatment

Technical Development - History

In the summer of 1994 began a proprietary separation process for processing recycled cathode ray tubes.
The process first aimed at the reusability of CRT panel material. For this, the CRT was separated at the interface (known as the lot) between the panel and funnel glass using a diamond-coated saw blade, the shadow mask in the panel was removed and the phosphorous layer suctioned off.

In this way, the panel could be used in the hollow glass industry for melting down again (no longer possible since summer 1997).
The funnel glass was deposited or used as slag former in metal smelting

As early as January 1996, tests were made together with the CRT glass industry to recycle the funnel glass for high-quality purposes.
The aim was to reuse the glass in creation of new CRT funnels. By summer 1997, the process had advanced enough for funnel glass with little adhesion of panel glass to be implemented once again in principle. Since the end of 1999, mixed glass fractions of panel and funnel glass can be used in normal mixture ratios in the funnel glass bowl as secondary raw material.