Did you know that Nittobo has successfully produced fiberglass from waste photovoltaic glass panels?
On October 29th, Nittobo announced the successful prototype production of irregularly shaped cross-section fiberglass using waste solar panel cover glass.
Nittobo (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hiroyuki Tada) successfully prototyped recycled fiberglass and recycled irregularly shaped cross-section fiberglass (flat fiber) for plastic reinforcement using waste solar panel cover glass (hereinafter referred to as cover glass) as raw material at its Fukushima division. "We will begin sample work and promote application development," Nittobo stated.
Solar panels have a lifespan of 20-30 years, and it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of tons will be discarded annually from the late 2030s onwards. Cover glass will account for approximately 60% of the total weight. Due to concerns about the severe environmental burden caused by landfill disposal as industrial waste, the company is researching the utilization of similar sheet glass and fiberglass. However, the composition of the glass cover also indicates that it is difficult to fully utilize the total emissions in these applications.
This successful prototype production is expected to make fiberglass a new pathway for waste glass covers. Promoting recycling not only helps reduce industrial waste landfill from a circular economy perspective, but also reduces the amount of natural resources used in fiberglass manufacturing, thus reducing GHG emissions during the manufacturing process. Going forward, we will expand its applications through sample testing.
This initiative is a key component of our sustainable development strategy and part of our environmentally friendly product development. For plastic reinforcement applications, in addition to ISCC PLUS certified products using already marketed recycled materials, we will also promote the development of products utilizing market-recycled materials, contributing to the building of a sustainable society.
