IBM has discovered a way of reusing discarded silicon wafers from the chip manufacturing process and selling the silicon for the creation of new solar panels. IBM's innovation has captured all three R's by Reducing landfill waste, Recycling the silicon and Reusing existing materials to create something new. Nice work!

"The new reclamation process uses a specialized pattern-removal technique that was pioneered at IBM's Burling, Vermont manufacturing facility. The process recently won the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable's '2007 Most Valuable Pollution Prevention Award.'"

The silicon found in these wafers is a vital material for manufacturing the photovoltaic cells in solar panels. Silicon is a limited material and in high demand so everyone wins when it can be reused, especially for a renewable energy source.

"IBM said the estimated energy savings translate into an overall reduction of the carbon footprint -- the measure of the total amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted over the full life of a product or service -- for both the semiconductor and solar industries."

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