Beneficiation and classification of ITO concentrate from waste LCD panel for industrial-scale indium extraction.

Currently, more than 55% of global indium production is consumed for indium tin oxide (ITO) production because of its excellent display properties mainly driven by demand for flat panel displays (FPDs) or LCDs. At the end of life, the waste LCD flows to the e-waste stream, accounts for 12.5% of the global e-waste, and is forecasted to be increasing progressively. These waste LCDs are potential wealth for indium that poses a threat to the environment. The volume of waste LCD generation is a global as well as national concern from a waste management perspective. Techno-economical recycling of this waste can be a panacea to the challenges associated with the lack of commercial technology and extensive research. Hence, a mass production capable of beneficiation and classification of ITO concentrate from waste LCD panels has been investigated. The mechanical beneficiation process for waste LCDs consists of five steps of operation, i.e., (i) size reduction by shredding by jaw milling, (ii) further size reduction to feed for ball milling, (iii) ball milling, (iv) classification to enrich ITO concentrate, and (v) characterization ITO concentrate and confirmation. The bench-scale process developed is intended to integrate with our indigenously developed dismantling plant (which can handle 5000 tons per annum) to handle separated waste LCD glass for indium recovery. Once scaled up, it can be integrated for continuous operation synchronized with the LCD dismantling plant.

Synthesis of cosmetic grade TiO2-SiO2 core-shell powder from mechanically milled TiO2 nanopowder for commercial mass production.

TiO2 nanoparticles as an active sunscreen ingredient generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon UVA irradiation which is cytotoxic, genotoxic and potential to damage the DNA. The health concern and potential risks from TiO2 can be mitigated by shielding the particles through the suitable coating. Considering the advantages of SiO2, SiO2 coated TiO2 nanoparticles can be a potential material which can replace TiO2 for thickening, whitening, lubricating, and sunscreen ingredient in cosmetics. This article reports the synthesis of cosmetic grade TiO2-SiO2 core-shell nanopowder from mechanically milled TiO2 nanopowder for commercial mass production. From commercial TiO2 nanopowder was fabricated through size reduction by nanoset milling. Followed by the fabricated TiO2 nanopowder coated with SiO2 through sol-gel technique. A suitable optimum condition was explored for cosmetic grade TiO2-SiO2 core-shell nanopowder. Various physical properties and optical properties were analyzed. Synthesized of cosmetic grade TiO2-SiO2 core-shell nanopowder found to be at 100 nm size, with a homogeneous SiO2 coating having UVA protection factor 39 and sun protection factor (SPF) is 42. From the size, safety, and SPF perspective it can be an excellent cosmetic grade powder and from process simplicity perspective it can be commercially viable.