Literature Review of Glass-Ceramic and Willemite Production from Waste Materials

Abstract

The first attempt to produce a glass ceramic from waste material was reported as early as the 1960s and involved use of several types of slag of ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy, ash, and waste from the mining and chemical industries. Willemite (Zn2SiO4), which is a good host for rare earths to be used in telecommunications, has been produced by different methods from pure materials. However, there is a lack of research on preparation of willemite using waste materials. To date, most research has been carried out on soda lime silicate (SLS) glass doped with different ingredients and rare earths, but little research has been carried out on willemite-based glass ceramics prepared using waste material and doped with erbium oxide (Er2O3). However, use of waste materials, such as SLS glass, as a main source for producing silicate will be economical, inexpensive, and helpful for reducing the aggregation of waste materials in landfills. The main objective of this study is to determine the effects of addition of erbium oxide (Er2O3) on the physical and optical properties of willemite-based glass ceramic sintered at different temperatures.