The SEEGLASS solution represents a new product in the existing market of mechanical and biological treatment (MBT) of municipal solid waste (MSW), but also represents a new product attempting to re-segment existing markets of waste treatment where the glass recovery did not represent a technical, economical or environmental concern.
As a new technical response, the expected potential impact of the SEEGLASS solution concerns firstly large amounts of recovered glass at the waste treatment plants and its subsequent valorisation.
At the same time, competition for raw materials has increased as a result of the rapid growth of emerging economies and the lack of natural resources. Containers’ glass is mostly constituted of silicate glass based on the chemical compound silica (silicon dioxide, or quartz), the primary constituent of sand. Formed by erosive processes over thousands of years, enormous amounts of sand are being extracted (close to rivers, quarrying areas) at a rate far greater than their renewal. Change of water flows, flood and impact on biodiversity are thus irreparable damages currently observed all over the world.
The SEEGLASS project provides new streams of reclaimed glass that otherwise would have not been recovered. Glass recycling provides for unmatched production efficiencies and significant environmental benefits, such as saves of raw materials (over a ton of natural resources are conserved for every ton of glass recycled), reductions of energy demands, cuts of greenhouse gas - CO2 emissions (for every six tons of recycled container glass used, a ton of carbon dioxide is reduced), reductions of emissions (particulates, nitrogen oxide, sulphur oxides), decreasing residues and by-products and furnace life extension of glass manufacturing.
Another important impact of this project is centred on the reduction of the waste being sent to landfills as far as glass and other small particles of recyclable materials are withdrawn from the waste streams which are currently sent to the landfills.
In fact, the SEEGLASS technology drives to valuable sub-products directly withdrawn from the municipal solid waste (MSW), such as small hard and light plastics and small metallic particles that can be recycled, as well as refuse derived fuel (RDF), which would have been otherwise landfilled.
Direct environmental impacts will be obtained by increasing recycling and reducing both landfilling and incineration. Socio-economic impacts and societal implications are also directly driven by the SEEGLASS solution, such as better environmental conditions having an impact in population health and wildlife (by reducing the exploitation of raw materials and CO2 emissions), better use of the public money in waste treatment plants by increasing their effectiveness and reducing the filling rate of landfills, creating new employment linked to this new solution, etc.
Progress beyond the state of the art may be assured as no similar solutions have been observed in the world. The SEEGLASS solution is completely automated, uses environment-friendly solutions (e.g. mechanical agitation, pneumatic sorting, machine-vision without X-rays), is easy to build (modular unit, fast installation, small footprint) an to operate (high precision computer control, conventional maintenance procedures), and provides high recovery rates of materials.
