FUJIFILM BI Taiwan has developed new collection and recycling technologies through cross-industry cooperation to enhance the application scope and value of recycled toner.

Waste toner cartridges from business machines and printers contain toner, plastic, and metal components, among others, and cannot be properly recycled without being disassembled and separated. FUJIFILM BI Taiwan has been recycling and dismantling used toner cartridges since 2006, allowing metal, plastic, and chip-related resources to be recycled. In order to move towards the goal of “zero waste,” FUJIFILM Group consistently seeks new recycling opportunities throughout its products’ lifecycle, from planning, development, and manufacturing to disposal.

Cross-industry cooperation: Finding new opportunities for “zero waste”

Since 2021, FUJIFILM BI Taiwan has cooperated with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to develop a new recycling mechanism and application for waste toner to replace carbon black as a raw material for coating materials. First, the logistics system collects used waste toner cartridges in the market, and then hands them to processing operators for disassembly and separation. The dismantled waste toner is converted into black slurry through interface modification and dispersion technology, and handed over to coating manufacturer Nan Pao Resins Chemical. Nan Pao Resins Chemical uses special dispersion and mixing technology to successfully make water-based black slurry from nonhydrophilic carbon powder and add it to the coating. The end products made with this model have been sold through the sales channels of Nan Pao Resins Chemical, and can be used for the surface coating of cement walls, wooden boards, plywood, plasterboard, calcium silicate boards, etc.

▪ Every year, 65 tons of waste toner can be recycled into materials for coating, reducing carbon emissions from incinerated waste by approximately 470 metric tons.

Partners:

▪ Industrial Technology Research Institute

▪ Nan Pao Resins Chemical Co., Ltd.