Recycling of digital data carriers

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Shredded CDs

Through recycling or the recycling of discarded data carriers such as CDs and DVDs , relevant secondary raw materials are created that serve as raw material for new products and sustainably protect finite raw material reserves. In particular, the polycarbonate , of which CDs are largely made, can be recycled in many ways in industry .

Structure of a CD / DVD

background

The number of CDs and DVDs produced in recent years has been falling. However, the number of discarded media is increasing. In 2008 there were around 400 million CDs and DVDs that have been sorted out to date.

Petroleum problem

The oil consumption of the entire world population has been increasing steadily over the last few decades. Crude oil - also known as crude oil - is a finite raw material. The increased demand and the simultaneous depletion of finite resources results in a problem that can be approached using the recycling of petroleum-based goods. In Germany, the total consumption in 2014 was already around 2.4 million barrels per day, which corresponds to 876 million barrels per year. It is estimated that around 400 million CDs and DVDs are discarded in Germany every year (as of 2009). The raw material value of a CD corresponds to 30 grams of crude oil, so that with complete recycling almost 88,000 barrels could be saved annually.

Uses for recyclates from CDs and DVDs

The polycarbonate obtained from CDs and DVDs is used as a secondary raw material, for example in the automotive industry and medical technology. For example, car glazing, headlights and car interior elements are made of polycarbonate. In the field of medical technology, for example, the substance is used as a starting material for ventilators.

Polycarbonate in the automotive industry

With the recycling of polycarbonate from digital data carriers, the need for raw materials from non-renewable resources for the manufacture of numerous automotive parts is decreasing. The export quota of German automobile manufacturers has been increasing since 2005 and thus indicates the future increasing demand for polycarbonate from recycled data carriers. In addition to the lower demand for polycarbonate for the declining production of CDs and DVDs, the demand from the automotive industry is increasing. So far, most of the raw material comes from China. Recycling of the data carriers disposed of in Germany represents ecological and economic opportunities.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sebastian Knauer: Garbage problem: flood of silver disks. In: Spiegel Online . March 6, 2008, accessed June 10, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Daily oil consumption in Germany according to Statista . Retrieved October 27, 2015
  3. ↑ Recycling: How to save petroleum with discarded CDs Main-Post dated April 9, 2009. Accessed October 27, 2015
  4. ↑ http://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/industrie/weniger-cd-huellen-die-autoindustrie-erhoeht-ihre-nachfrage-nach-polycarbonat/4594284-2.html