Shape-independent lamp recycling in the broken glass washer
To meet the needs of our customers for efficient and future-oriented recycling, DELA designed and developed the DELA-broken glass washer in 2001. Our technology is still the only one of its kind that can process fluorescent tubes of any type and colour including broken glass and production waste. Lamp components such as glass, metal, fluorescent powder and small quantities of mercury are specifically separated and reused.
Your advantage is our goal: The efficient, specification-conforming recovery of raw materials by means of the environmentally compatible recycling of gas discharge lamps.
The system profile in brief
| Special feature | all lamp shapes and types can be recycled |
| Annual capacity | 18,000 tonnes |
| Operational capacity | 2 tonnes every hour |
| Process | Broken glass washing procedure |
| Exhaust air | Cleaned in a special 3-level system (dust filter, fine dust filter, active carbon filter) |
| Efficiency | 97% yield |
| Delivery | Transport container as agreed |
| Input | All types of fluorescent lamps, special lamp shapes, production residues, broken glass |
| Output | Soda lime glass, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, pure mercury (4 to 8N grades) |
Technology and Procedure
The input material is loaded straight from the collection boxes, barrels or Big-Bags without prior sorting and chopped to a defined fragment size by a crusher. A high-performance exhaust air system prevents the emission of any mercury vapours or dust during the entire recycling process.
The fluorescent powder and any mercury is then removed from the chopped lamps in vibro wells by means of vibration and water. The washed-out fluorescent powder, including the mercury and fine particles of glass, sediment in two stages and the process water is returned to the washing process circulation. The mercury in the fluorescent powder slurry is extracted in a separate rotary drum distillation stage.
The cleaned components then pass through further separation stages. Any unwanted materials, such as aluminium end caps, lead glass particles and metal parts (non-ferrous and ferrous), are separated in a magnetic filter and also through several sifters. The fractions that are produced are recycled or used for energy in thermal processes.
We guarantee the defined purity of the final products in a final procedural step that involves visual recognition modules removing any unwanted materials from the flow of recyclable materials by means of compressed air impulses. The final product is pure soda lime glass in a defined quality grade. Various reputed lamp manufacturers use this high-quality recycling product to produce new fluorescent lamps. The use of the recovered glass shards and metals in the production of new products leads to energy savings and reduces the emission of greenhouse gases, thereby helping to preserve natural resources.
Vibration Channel
Quality Check
Output