Nation's first system to use AI robotics for safe and efficient flat panel recycling will save recyclers significant time and money
STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Oct. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Electronics recycler eLoop announced today that it will offer the industry a safer and more efficient process to recover the valuable commodities found inside end-of-life (EOL) flat panel television and monitors know as Flat Panel Displays (FPDs). Using the nation's first fully automated AI robotic processing system, eLoop's new FPD PRO® Technology enhances efficiency and safety while increasing the volume being processed. Located in eLoop's State College, PA facility, the FPD PRO® also provides the best available, safer solution for workers—and the environment—as the FPD PRO® securely contains hazardous materials found in FPDs.
Partnering with FPD Recycling®, a technology company from Europe, eLoop will be the first electronic waste (e-waste) recycler in the U.S. to implement the FPD PRO®, a fully automated robotic recycling system for processing FPDs. It is the fastest, most efficient and safest way to process the nearly 45 million television sets sold in the U.S. annually when it comes time for them to be recycled. Since flat panel displays typically have a shorter lifespan that previous models, the number approaching or surpassing end-of-life use continues to build, including the 220 million units sold globally in 2016.
"Because of the hazardous elements involved and the extensive manual labor required, the current method of disassembling FPDs for recycling purposes is inefficient, costly and potentially harmful to the worker," said Ned Eldridge, eLoop's CEO and founder. "Improved productivity with the FPD PRO® will allow us to provide this low cost solution to recyclers so that they no longer have to expose their workers to hazardous elements while manually disassembling flat screens."
With the partnership, eLoop becomes the most technologically advanced recycler of FPDs in the U.S., allowing for the safest and most efficient material recovery. With the use of robotic, artificial intelligence, industrial vision and flexible automation for FPD disassembly, processing time will be significantly reduced. Because it is automated and securely enclosed, workers will no longer be exposed to harmful substances such as mercury, cadmium, and other hazardous substances, such as the lead (Pb) found in the LCD glass of newer screens.
"Working manually, a worker can disassemble approximately four flat screens in an hour and is at risk to mercury exposure," Eldridge said. "The FPD PRO® will safely open up to 90 FPDs per hour. This is a game changing breakthrough."
With this new automated AI process, eLoop will be able to more efficiently recycle FPDs so that additional clean recoverable components make their way into the circular economy and kept out of the landfills. This solution positions eLoop as the leading processor for FPDs in PA, NJ, NY and MD. for recyclers and OEMs who want to save money on processing and transportation.
With FPDs being classed as hazardous waste, and the rising cost of unstainable recycling both economically and environmentally, it is calculated that eLoop will save 7900t of CO2 per year when the FPD PRO® is in full production, compared to virgin material. This will contribute to both eLoop's internal sustainability goals and aid in the state of Pennsylvania's goal to reach net zero and beyond
"eLoop continues to be a leader by adopting cutting edge robotics and Artificial Intelligence to recycle FPDs safely and efficiently," said CEO, Paudy O'Brien of FPD Recycling®. "We are excited to partner with eLoop to demonstrate how to marry state-of-the-art technology with traditional electronics recycling. Our vision is that every used FPD becomes a valuable commodity rather than hazardous waste and I am delighted to see eLoop have the same vision."
eLoop's choice for the location of the FPD PRO® has some historical significance to it. The machine will be housed in eLoop's State College, PA, facility in the former location of Corning Inc. Specialty Glass factory that for decades produced cathode ray tubes for television sets.
"It's a building that helped produce many of the country's CRT television sets," Eldridge said, "and now it's going to harvest components and commodities to enhance the circular economy and support the right to repair movement and thus support local SME business growth."About eLoop:
With more than 14 years of experience, eLoop has perfected IT Lifecycle Management to deliver the highest value to the organizations it services. As one of the largest IT lifecycle managers in the Northeast region of the U.S., eLoop services businesses of all types and sizes, from small businesses to Fortune 500 organizations. With its main headquarters located in Export, PA, eLoop provide complete cradle-to-cradle IT asset disposition (ITAD) services for all distributed and non-distributed assets with a secure chain of custody, providing full transparency and real-time updates throughout the entire process. eLoop's focus is to upcycle or recycle all assets while assuring that data is secure every step of the way.About FPD Recycling®:
Their mission is turning e-waste into a valuable commodity and changing the economics of the recycling industry.
FPD Recycling® is a technology provider with a disruptive business model. This provides recyclers with a safe, efficient and profitable solution to deal with growing stream of problematic e-waste. Their flagship solution - FPD PRO® is a fully automated, robotic recycling system removing hazardous components from (FPD), enabling safe further processing and recovery of high-quality materials. They are working on laptop and hard drive disassembly as well as battery sorting by chemistry and provide advisory services globally.
CONTACT: John Kelly, jkelly@eloopllc.com
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SOURCE eLoop