FORMING AND PROPERTIES OF GLASSES MADE FROM TWO THAI BOTTOM ASHES

Abstract

Industrial wastes are often an under-utilized source of raw materials. Bottom ashes resulting from incineration processes can contain various metal oxides, including many commonly used in glass making. This research studied the forming and properties of glasses made from two bottom ashes. Lignite bottom ash (BL) from Lampang, Thailand and a municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash (BP) from Phuket, Thailand. Both bottom ashes were found to contain significant amounts of SiO2, CaO, Al2O3, and Fe2O3. After ball milling, the ashes were melted without additions, at temperatures from 1300 to 1500°C. The resulting glasses, as confirmed by XRD, were black and fully opaque, a result of the high Fe2O3 content. It was found that the BP glasses were slightly more refractory, had a greater average thermal conductivity of 1.52 W/m·K and a lower coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of 6.97x10-6/°C, compared to the BP glasses, which had an average thermal conductivity of 1.39 W/m·K and a CTE of 7.98x10-6/°C. The BL glasses also had a higher average density of 2.88 g/cm3 and a Vickers hardness of 6.29 GPa, compared to the BP glasses, with average values of 2.74 g/cm3 and 6.06 GPa, respectively. The increase of glass melting temperature up to 1450°C tended to improve the observed properties, followed by a decrease at 1500°C. Despite the atypical glass chemistry of the two bottom ashes, they were successfully melted to produce glasses and the measured properties demonstrated suitable potential to warrant further study.