<A HREF="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2209641,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594">IBM is scrubbing clean the silicon wafers</A> it uses to manufacture microprocessors, recycling the silicon to reuse in its fabs or sold for solar panels. IBM began the recycling program Oct. 30 at its manufacturing facility in Essex Junction, Vt., where it is estimated to save $1.5 million in production costs in 2007 alone, IBM said. It will expand the program to its East Fishkill, N.Y., facility by the first quarter of 2008.

The process uses the excess microprocessors from a silicon wafer, those deemed imperfect, which are usually discarded during production to preserve the intellectual property behind the patented circuitry imprinted on each processor. IBM's recycling process wipes the circuitry from the sheet, returning a blank silicon wafer, said Eric White, an advisory scientist with IBM.