New Glasses and Glass-Ceramics by Recycling of Spanish Urban Incinerator Fly Ashes

Abstract

The combined vitrification/ controlled crystallization process allows the inertization and/or recycling of a wide range of industrial wastes into new glasses and glass ceramics. The final products can be produced without environmental risks in useful materials in construction applications. The concept of glass- ceramics process production implies the controlled nucleation and growth of crystalline phases from glasses adequately designed from combination of several residues used as secondary raw materials. In this sense, the fly ashes from the more representative spanish MSW incinerator plants (Valdemingomez, Mallorca and Melilla) have been investigated in order to demonstrate their capabilities for producing glasses susceptible to be transformed in glass ceramics. After characterisation and mixing with other industrial wastes, the original glasses thermal behaviour (TTT curves and DTA/ TG), the mineralogy and microstructure have been determined (XRD and SEM/ EDX), as well as mechanical properties (H{sub v}, E and K{sub IC} by indentation methods) have been determined. (orig.)