The global production of Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) has reached 800 million to 1 billion annually, reflecting the inseparability of LCDs from modern life. However, this also translates to a growing amount of related scrap generated. In the USA alone, about 2.8 million metric tons of LCD screen panel product waste is scrapped annually. Without efficient recycling methods, this substantial amount of scrap is primarily disposed of in landfills or other treatments, allowing hazardous materials such as fluorine, chlorine, and other halogens from the liquid crystal to contaminate the soil and water, posing a threat to the environment. 
 
ITRI has developed the first and only "LCD panel full cycle technology," which can sequentially separate, purify, and reuse the liquid crystal, indium, and glass in the LCD panel. The liquid crystal and indium can be reused in the panel manufacturing process. At the same time, the glass undergoes a patented nanometer chemical technology modification to become a nanoporous material, which is applied in the adsorption treatment of metal process water.
 
In addition to assisting domestic panel manufacturers to recycle defective panel products with low-carbon processes, this system can also provide innovative materials to offer low-cost, high-efficiency, and low-carbon treatment solutions for metal process water, which has both environmental and economic benefits. With these features, it conforms to the international trend toward a circular economy and is an ideal solution for processing waste LCD panels. It received a 2017 R&D 100 Award and a Special Recognition Award in Green Tech. It has cooperated with domestic and foreign companies such as Innolux and FortuneWEEE to promote the application.