A Basic Study for Manufacturing High Refractive Beads from the Waste Fluorescent Glass

Abstract

This study was carried out to get the optimum conditions for manufacturing high refractive glass beads from waste fluorescent lamp glass. Chemical composition, X-ray diffraction pattern, particle size distribution, refractive index of glass beads, and the effect of air mixing ratio and ejection rate were investigated. The obtained results are as follows. The X-ray diffraction pattern and chemical composition of glass beads made of waste fluorescent glass are similar to common glass except ReO2 0.0108 wt%, BaO 0.071 wt%, NiO 0.0039 wt% and CaO 7.8 wt% but 11.7 wt% of common glass. The glass beads made of waste fluorescent lamp glass have the narrower particle size distribution of and the higher refractive index than the glass beads made of common glass. The optimal conditions of kiln operation for manufacturing glass beads from waste fluorescent lamp glass are 20 m/sec of ejection rate, 1.7 of air mixing ratio, and 940°C of temperature.