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

Electronic waste (e-waste) contains a wide variety of heavy metals that are detrimental to human and environmental health if they are not disposed of properly. Cathode ray tube (CRT) funnel glass is an important component of the growing volume of end-of-life CRT television and computer monitor waste. CRT glass contains 14–23% of lead (Pb) by weight, which is necessary for protecting monitor users from the cathode ray radiation and for connecting various glass pieces together. However, the large amount of lead contained in the CRT funnel glass creates a serious problem when the CRT glass products reach their end-of-life because lead can escape into the environment and cause severe damage to humans and the environment. Small amounts of lead exposure can result in adverse central nervous system damage that leads to headaches, behavior problems, reproductive issues, and cognitive deficits in children. Despite these wellknown health effects, CRT funnel glass still faces improper disposal fates. In recent years, various researchers have investigated the environmental or economic impacts related to CRT glass recycling. These investigations have focused on the collection, dismantling, and materials recovery of various CRT glass recycling processes. Despite these previous investigations, a systematic evaluation of the economic and environmental attributes of various waste management options for CRT funnel glass specifically, especially at the detailed process level, does not exist. In this paper, environmental impacts and economic feasibility of four currently available and one novel CRT funnel glass waste management options are compared and discussed [1].