A new Energy Saving method of manufacturing ceramic products from waste glass

Technical Report · Fri Jul 05 04:00:00 EDT 2002

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/816041· OSTI ID:816041

Labs, Haun

This final report summarizes the activities of the DOE Inventions and Innovations sponsored project, ''A New Energy Saving Method of Manufacturing Ceramic Products from Waste Glass.'' The project involved an innovative method of lowering energy costs of manufacturing ceramic products by substituting traditional raw materials with waste glass. The processing method is based on sintering of glass powder at {approx}750 C to produce products which traditionally require firing temperatures of >1200 C, or glass-melting temperatures >1500 C. The key to the new method is the elimination of previous processing problems, which have greatly limited the use of recycled glass as a ceramic raw material. The technology is aligned with the DOE-OIT Glass Industry Vision and Roadmap, and offers significant energy savings and environmental benefits compared to current technologies. A U.S. patent (No. 6,340,650) covering the technology was issued on January 22, 2002. An international PCT Patent Application is pending with designations made for all PCT regions and countries. The goal of the project was to provide the basis for the design and construction of an energy-efficient manufacturing plant that can convert large volumes of waste glass into high-quality ceramic tile. The main objectives of the project were to complete process development and optimization; construct and test prototype samples; and conduct market analysis and commercialization planning. Two types of ceramic tile products were targeted by the project. The first type was developed during the first year (Phase I) to have a glazed-like finish for applications where slip resistance is not critical, such as wall tile. The processing method optimized in Phase I produces a glossy surface with a translucent appearance, without the extra glazing steps required in traditional tile manufacturing. The second type of product was developed during the second year (Phase II). This product was designed to have an unglazed appearance for applications requiring slip resistance, such as floor tile. The coarser matte finish of this product type was produced by modifying the basic process to include crystalline fillers and partial crystallization of the glass. Additional details of the project results are discussed in Section III.

• Research Organization: Golden Field Office, Golden, CO (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EE) (US)
• OSTI ID: 816041
• Report Number(s): FG36-00GO10520
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
CERAMICS
CRYSTALLIZATION
ENERGY CONSERVATION
GLASS
GLASS INDUSTRY
GLAZING MATERIALS
MANUFACTURING
WASTE PRODUCT UTILIZATION