Foam Glass Research Articles

Improving the thermal protection characteristics of building enclosing structures of the Samara Academic Drama Theater building

Preservation of the architectural appearance of buildings of historical and cultural heritage is a prerequisite for their energy modernization when performing major repairs or reconstruction. In this regard, it is not possible to use facade systems to reduce heat losses by external walls. The use of internal insulation, as construction practice has shown, quite often led to a violation of the humidity regime of enclosing structures and, as a result, to the formation of dark spots and mold fungi on the internal surfaces. To prevent moisture accumulation in enclosing structures, with internal insulation, only thermal insulation materials with a low coefficient of vapor permeability should be used. The article presents the results of a thermal imaging survey of the facades of the Samara Academic Drama Theater building, which indicate increased heat loss in the basement of the building and the exterior walls made of silicate bricks after reconstruction in 1967. In order to meet modern regulatory requirements for the thermal protection of buildings of historical and cultural heritage, it was proposed to additionally insulate the exterior walls from the inside above the zero mark with foam glass, as well as warm plaster in the basement and basement of the building. Solutions are proposed for the replacement of window structures, entrance doors, coverings and ceilings to increase the energy efficiency of the operated building. When performing the thermophysical calculation of the above-listed enclosing structures, the authors methodology for estimating the plane of possible condensation was applied, which allows for a higher probability of assessing moisture accumulation in them.

Polyaromatic hydrocarbon thin film layers on glass, dust, and polyurethane foam surfaces

An investigation was conducted into the dynamic behavior of two polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) semi-volatile organic compound (SVOC) naphthalene (NAP) and benzo [ghi]perylene (BghiP) in air and on various surfaces including glass, dust, and polyurethane foam (PUF) to understand their interaction with different media. A confocal fluorescence microscope and an infrared microscope were employed to detect and monitor the concentration-, time-, and temperature-dependent changes of the aromatic NAP and BghiP species on the surfaces. Infrared two-dimensional mapping of the vibrational characteristic peaks was used to track the two PAHs on the surfaces. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was employed to measure the gaseous concentrations. The sorption of NAP and BghiP on the surfaces was estimated using Arizona desert sand fine (ISO 12103-1 A2) dust and organic contaminant household (SRM 2585) dust. The surface-to-air partition coefficients of NAP and BghiP were estimated on the different surfaces of glass, dust, and PUF. Molecular dynamic simulations were performed on dust surfaces based on the Hatcher model to understand the behavior of NAP and BghiP on dust surfaces. The Weschler-Nazaroff model was introduced to predictPAH film accumulation on the surfaces, providing a better understanding of PAH interaction with different environmental media. These findings could contribute to developing effective strategies to mitigate the adverse impact of PAHs on the environment and human health.

Effect of early densification on foaming process of glass–calcium carbonate mixture

The understanding of relationship between densification and foaming for preparation of foam glasses is still lacking. In this study, 128 powder compacts of glass-CaCO3 mixture were foamed isothermally for different time by varying glass particle size, foaming temperature and initial density of green compacts. The results showed that densification tends to take place in the early stage by viscous flow sintering prior to predominant foaming expansion. Therefore, there exists a critical time at which the maximum apparent density is reached, and it is correlated with both the densification rate and kinetics of CaCO3 decomposition. Such a densification has a minor effect on the minimum apparent density, however, it significantly impacts the evolution of pore structure including pore size and homogeneity, depending on glass particle size. Coarse-particle glass and high load applied on the green compacts, leading to higher green density, is favorable for slow development of pore structure with time. In this case, the foam glasses were endowed with small size of pores and homogeneity. This study provides an insight into how to obtain low apparent density and the optimum microstructure by the interplay between densification and foaming.

Foam glass production from waste bottle glass using silicon cutting waste of loose abrasive slurry sawing as foaming agent

This study created foam glass from waste bottle glass employing silicon cutting waste (SCW) of loose abrasive slurry sawing as the foaming agent. The influence of affecting parameters, namely sintering temperature, glass powder particle size, SCW dosage, heating rate, holding time, were investigated. The produced foam glass was characterized to examine its microstructure, bulk density, compressive strength, porosity, and thermal conductivity, and was compared with that produced using silicon carbide (SiC) reagent as the foaming agent. The results indicated that under the optimal conditions of sintering temperature of 775 °C, glass powder particle size of 0.15 mm, SCW dosage of 1 wt% (the D50 of SiC in SCW was ca. 10 μm), heating rate of 10 °C/min, and holding time of 30 min, the produced foam glass had a compressive strength of 4.1 MPa, bulk density of 0.56 g/cm3, porosity of 78%, and thermal conductivity of 0.16 W/m·k; these properties meet with standards for thermal insulation materials. In contrast, using SiC reagent with a D50 of ca. 22 μm revealed 900 °C as the optimal sintering temperature, which yielded foam glass having a compressive strength of 5.4 MPa, bulk density of 0.67 g/cm3, porosity of 73%, and thermal conductivity of 0.2 W/m·k. By using SCW as the foaming agent, foam glass is able to be produced under comparatively low temperature and has favorable properties. In addition, the simultaneous waste valorization of waste bottle glass and SCW can be achieved.

Comparative study of different materials for insulated pavement in cold regions

Pavements constructed on frost-susceptible subgrade layers are prone to deterioration from freezing in cold regions. A thermal insulation layer above the frost-susceptible subgrade layer in a pavement structure could effectively mitigate the deterioration due to frost action. The objective of study was to evaluate the thermal insulation performance of different insulating materials experimentally and numerically. Therefore, five large-scale pavement boxes, including one uninsulated pavement and four insulated pavements using different materials (i.e., XPS board, tire chips, foam glass aggregates (FGA), and foamed concrete), were constructed. The thermal insulation performance was studied under constant freezing condition and freeze-thaw cycles where the temperature profile of pavements was monitored. A finite element model was developed by considering the transient heat flow and the associated latent heat of fusion in the unbound granular layers. Correspondingly, the numerical simulation was conducted to extrapolate the temperature profile for pavement structures made by different insulating materials. The experimental results show that the XPS and FGA have the best overall insulation performance, followed by foamed concrete and tire chips. Results of the numerical simulation suggest that to achieve an equivalent level of insulation performance as a 5 cm thick XPS board under the same freezing conditions, insulating materials such as tire chips layer, FGA layer, foamed concrete layer, or recycled concrete aggregate should have insulation layer thicknesses of 40 cm, 25 cm, 30 cm, or 68 cm, respectively. In terms of cost-benefit analysis, the foamed concrete insulated pavement is the most expensive option, followed by uninsulated pavement, insulated pavements using FGA, tire chips, and XPS. This study highlights the critical role of the insulating material and the insulation layer thickness in cost-benefit thermal insulation for pavements in cold regions.

MATHEMATICAL MODELING AND EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE PROCESS OF NON-STATIONARY HEAT TRANSFER IN A BLOCK FOAM GLASS SAMPLE AT THE ANNEALING STAGE

The specifics of the technology for the production of block foam glass are presented, the results of experimental studies of the properties of the material are presented, a method for improving production based on mathematical modeling of heat transfer processes is proposed. It is shown that the processes of high-temperature processing of foam glass make a key contribution to the formation of a high-quality porous structure, therefore, this area of ​​research needs the development of adequate methods for calculating the main macrophysical parameters based on the theory of heat transfer. A technique for checking the adequacy of the mathematical model of heat transfer is presented using the example of spontaneous cooling of a foam glass block. The entire procedure for checking the adequacy of the mathematical model was carried out in three stages. At the first stage, the degree of validation of the model is assessed, functional dependencies with the results of an experimental study based on the Pearson determination coefficient. The main stage includes the evaluation of the confidence intervals of the experimental data and the discussion of the convergence of the results of the analytical calculation with the results of the experimental data. The final stage, at which a comprehensive assessment of the adequacy of the mathematical model is given, includes both the results of the preparatory and the main stages. The results of the study showed that it can be concluded that the calculated data have sufficient convergence with the experimental data and indicate the adequacy of the developed mathematical model of heat transfer.

Sinter-crystallization kinetics and foaming of glass from metallurgical slag in air and inert atmosphere

Aim of the proposed research is the synthesis in air and argon of thermally densified glass-ceramics and foams from glass, based on metallurgical slag and industrial sand.The kinetics of densification is evaluated by hot stage microscopy (HSM) runs at different heating rates. The structures of foamed samples are observed with micro X-Ray computed tomography (μCT). Furthermore, the complex oxidation and reduction processes have been evaluated by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR).The analysis of the sintering kinetics shows that in argon environment the densification temperature is lower, the activation energy of sintering decreases and the foaming trend is completely inhibited. On the contrary, during a traditional heat-treatment in air, the foaming tendency is intensive. Its rate increases with increasing temperature and samples with about 90 % vol. closed porosity can be obtained.However, if a preliminary oxidation step is performed, glass-ceramic foams can be synthesized also in inert atmosphere.

Effect of Gold Tailing Addition on the Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Foam Ceramics

Tailings, with their low utilisation rate and value, pose an urgent problem that needs to be solved. This study focused on foam ceramics and glass granules, which were prepared using gold tailings as the main raw materials, and the prepared microcrystalline foam ceramics were investigated. The optimum sample (S6) of foam ceramics consists of 77 wt% of gold tailings, 6 wt% of talc, 9 wt% of bentonite, 2 wt% of calcite, 0.9 wt% of foaming agent and 0.6% of water reducer. The optimum foaming temperature is 1190 °C, and the holding time is 60 min. The compressive strength and bulk density of the samples are 7.4 MPa and 396.4 kg/m3; nucleation temperature, crystallisation temperature, and crystallisation activation energy of glass particles are 700 °C ± 50 °C, 1100 °C ± 50 °C, and 1572 kJ/mol, respectively. Microanalysis results showed that the crystal phases of foam ceramics were mainly quartz, calcium silicate, and aluminium silicate, and crystallinity increases with increasing gold tailing content. Wollastonite appeared in the crystalline phase of microcrystalline foam ceramics. When the glass granule addition reached 30% (2–3 samples), the compressive strength was increased by 19% (8.81 MPa), and the pore size distribution was more uniform.

Microwave technology of thermal insulation materials based on liquid glass as an alternative to foam glass

An energy-saving and environmentally friendly microwave technology is proposed for producing composite thermal insulation materials based on liquid glass, which are not inferior to foam glass in terms of their properties. It is shown that the use of microwave radiation allows fabricating volumetrically grouted materials by simultaneous porization of the granules and the binder. In such a way, a monolithic structure of products is formed, where the space between the granules is filled with the swollen binder limited by a denser surface layer. It has been proven that the use of microwave radiation allows achieving heating and softening of the entire mass of the liquid-glass composition due to the internal acceleration of the movement of water molecules, their friction, and release of thermal energy, and not due to high temperature from the outside. This has made it possible to carry out swelling at a lower temperature and during a much shorter heat treatment time than at the traditional convective heating, because the sample layer is heated almost instantly under microwave exposure and the liquid glass composition reaches a pyroplastic state in a few seconds. It has been determined that a part of the energy of electromagnetic radiation is transformed into heat, which contributes to intensive porization with the volumetric expansion of the liquid-glass composition. The other part of the energy is directed to structural changes in the material leading to the improvement of its properties, which is associated with the "non-thermal" microwave radiation action.

Bioinspired Sandwich Structure in Composite Panels

The phenomenon of separation into constituent layers connecting the core and laminate of a composite sandwich complex is a vital complication that leads to early failure of such material. The direction of the sandwich construction's exfoliation rigidity is increased between interlaminar low fiber augmentation. The bioinspired technique of hybrid material layers was used on an aluminium face sheet with an interlayer composition of PET foam core and glass fabric of a material that appears to have greater potential as a flimsy substitute for materials currently used in automotive, aeronautical, and marine applications. This examination seeks to develop the making of such material along the retardation in fibre supplements. Fibre bridging has been recognized as an important appliance in the progress of this operating procedure. Consequently, this method points to promoting the event of fibre bridging by differing aggregates, including the mass and extent of augmented fibres and the quantity of epoxy resin applied. A few advancements were made to the production methods, and though the outcomes for the resisting ability of specimens were found to be indecisive, it was found that the layer separation hardness had even improved. This was confirmed through the operation of scanning electron microscopy and also predicted the mechanically peeled material surfaces which identified the adhesive strength variations with respect to the face sheet surface modified with the sand blasting process. The analysis also revealed the need for further research into optimizing the attachment between aluminium sheet and pet foam and glass fabric based hybrid sandwich panels.

ASSESMENT OF THE POSSIBILITY OF FOAM GLASS APPLICATION IN THE SUB-BALLAST LAYERS

The paper investigates whether foam glass could reduce the structural thickness of the protection layer in the construction of the railway track (saving of natural materials – crushed aggregate) and, at the same time, also provide sufficient thermal protection of the frost-susceptible subgrade surface. It also discusses whether the incorporation of foam glass would have a relevant effect on the increase of the deformation resistance of the railway track structure at the level of the sub-ballast upper surface. Following these assumptions, the paper presents the results of experimental measurements of the deformation resistance of the modified structural composition of the sub-ballast layers (with an embedded foam glass layer) and their comparison with the results determined on a structure with a standard composition of the sub-ballast layers (crushed aggregate sub-ballast layer/protective layer). Also, numerical and mathematical analysis of the influence of the built-in thermal insulation foam glass layer on the reduction of the structural thickness of the protective crushed aggregate layer in terms of the effect of climatic factors is conducted in the paper. The mathematical model, developed by the research, provides the possibility of continuous monitoring of the change in the railway track structure freezing depending on climatic characteristics.

Expanded Glass for Thermal and Acoustic Insulation from Recycled Post-Consumer Glass and Textile Industry Process Waste

The production of glass foams obtained by recycling post-consumer glass and textile industry processing waste is presented. The mechanical, thermal and acoustic properties were characterized as a function of process temperature and time. The results showed that it is possible to produce glass foams with thermal and acoustic insulation properties from a mixture consisting of 96.5% of glass waste, 1% of textile waste and 2.5% of manganese dioxide, processed at temperatures between 800 and 900 °C for a time between 30 and 90 min. The samples had density in the range of 200-300 kg m-3, porosity of 87-92%, thermal conductivity of 85-105 mW m-1 K-1, noise-reducing factors of 0.15-0.40 and compressive strength of 1.2-3.0 MPa. Although their insulation performance was not as outstanding as that of polymer foams, these materials can emerge as competitive candidates for applications requiring non-flammability and high-temperature load bearing capacity in combination with low weight, mechanical strength, and thermal and acoustic insulation properties. The use of secondary raw materials (which accounted for 97.5% by weight of the synthetic blend) limits the energy required compared to that needed for the extraction, transportation and processing of primary raw materials, making these foams attractive also in terms of environmental footprint.

A novel and clean utilization of multiple solid wastes to produce foam glass-ceramic

Direct materialisation is a large-scale solid waste utilisation approach with economic and environmental benefits. This study explored a novel process for the utilisation of multiple solid wastes, including fly ash, blast furnace slag and desulphurisation gypsum, for foam glass–ceramic preparation. The high-temperature decomposition reactions of desulphurisation gypsum were analysed to investigate its suitability as a foaming agent. The effects of the sintering temperature during the preparation process and the raw material composition on the properties of the prepared foam glass–ceramic were investigated. The optimum parameters were a desulphurisation gypsum addition amount of 7 wt% and a sintering temperature of 1,200 °C, while the corresponding bulk density, thermal conductivity and compressive strength were 1.21 g/cm3, 0.153 W/m K and 11.23 MPa, respectively. Finally, the migration and transformation of heavy metals during the preparation process and the leaching behaviour of heavy metals from the final material were analysed. The recycling of multiple solid wastes for foam glass–ceramic production has significant economic and environmental benefits. The excellent thermal insulation and strength properties of foam glass–ceramic make them suitable for manufacturing wall insulation materials.

Utilization of Foamed Glass as an Effective Adsorbent for Methylene Blue: Insights into Physicochemical Properties and Theoretical Treatment

This study reports a potential approach for the valorization of glass waste (GW) that is mainly composed of amorphous silica to prepare lightweight foamed glass (FG). The preparation of FG was achieved by mixing sodium hydroxide with GW powder followed by sintering at a temperature of 800 °C. As-synthesized FG was characterized and applied as an effective adsorbent for the removal of hazardous organic water contaminants, in particular, methylene blue (MB) dye. FG exhibited porosity of 91%, bulk density of 0.65 g/cm3, compressive strength of 4 MPa, and thermal conductivity of 0.27 W/m·K. Theoretical treatment indicated that a monolayer model with one energy site was the best in fitting the removal of MB molecules. The number of MB molecules per active site (n) ranged from 2.20 to 1.70, suggesting vertical orientation and a multi-molecular adsorption mechanism. The density of FG receptor sites (DM) increased with the temperature, and this parameter played a vital role in the adsorption process. The adsorption capacity (Qsat) increased from 255.11 to 305.58 mg/g, which signifies endothermic interactions. MB adsorption on FG was controlled by physical forces such as electrostatic interactions (i.e., the adsorption energies were <20 kJ/mol). The results of this study prove the feasibility of glass waste as an effective and low-cost adsorbent for water remediation.

Foam Glass Granule Usage in Tile Glue Mixtures That Use a Reduced Portland Cement Amount.

In the last few years, ceramic tiles and tiles from natural rock with higher measurements were used. A huge amount of tile glue is used for high-measurement tile gluing due to a special gluing technology, which is characterized by a thicker glue layer. Due to this, a higher and higher amount of tile glue is used up during decorating. Regular tile glue mixture uses up to about 50-60% cement (according to mixture mass). In carried-out experiments, a lower amount of cement was used in tile glue mixture production (30%). Additionally, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% of sand was replaced with small foam glass granules. These granules are made from glass waste. By using foam glass granules, lighter tile glue mixtures were produced, while reducing the cement amount can lower energy usage and CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. The main properties of tile glue were investigated as follows: flow of mixture, density, compressive strength, bending strength, tensile-adhesive strength, slip and water absorption. The properties obtained during the research prove that newly produced tile glue mixtures fulfill all requirements given to these types of mixtures. A total of 25% of foam glass granule from filler mass can be used in tile glue production.

Integration of Energy Simulations and Life Cycle Assessment in Building Refurbishment: An Affordability Comparison of Thermal Insulation Materials through a New Sustainability Index

Energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction have become two of the most important issues to address in fighting climate change. Focused strategies have been implemented aiming at reducing the energy consumption of buildings since it is one of the most energy-intensive sectors, but they are mainly concerned with energy reduction without considering their environmental impact. The present work therefore aims at assessing the energy and environmental impacts of the use of insulation materials for building envelope refurbishment as the thermal coating. Reference buildings were used to perform energy simulations in representative cities of Italy and energy and environmental impacts of the most common and sustainable insulation materials were thus evaluated. Relevant outcomes have been focused on defining a new Economic and Environmental Sustainability Index (EESI) capable of considering both economic and environmental aspects; particularly, sustainable materials (such as cellulose fiber) can have the same affordability as traditional ones (such as polystyrene foam slab, glass wool, or stone wool) if environmental impact is also taken into account, despite their higher cost. However, according to EESI, the affordability of traditional insulation materials remains evident in the warmest climatic zones because of the lower energy needs of buildings.

Case study on MOC composites enriched by foamed glass and ground glass waste: Experimental assessment of material properties and performance

Nowadays, many researchers are intensively trying to develop novel environmentally friendly composite materials for construction with a view to replace widely used Portland cement (PC). Current hopes are pinned on the use of materials based on reactive magnesia. In this case study, composites prepared from magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC), ground waste glass, and either quartz sand or foam glass were prepared and analyzed in detail. The main aim was to design and develop novel composites with low unit weight, good thermal insulation performance, and high water damage resistance. In addition, the application of secondary-raw materials as a partial substitution for common fillers was accented. The properties of fresh and matured composites were studied and analyzed within the framework of a complex experimental campaign involving phase composition assessment, structural, textural, mechanical, hygric, thermal, and durability parameters testing, as well as the identification of main chemical bonds in the formed hardened materials. The usage of ground waste glass led to a significant drop in porosity, densified microstructure, enhanced compressive strength, reduced water ingress, and improved durability. In general, the prepared composites provide properties and performance, which make them promising eco-efficient alternatives to PC-based construction composites.

Prospective life cycle assessment of a novel building system with improved foam glass incorporating high recycled content

This article presents a prospective life cycle assessment of the novel building system incorporating an improved foam glass with high recycled content, considering alternative shells (clay and concrete bricks) and construction site locations. The improved foam glass (λ = 0.037 W/m K; ρ = 100 kg/m3) outperforms the commercial foam glass in most environmental impact categories. A fully electric production process is only beneficial with a high share of renewable energy sources in the electricity mix. The use of the improved foam glass can lead to a reduction of climate change impacts by 64 % and resource use - fossil by 66 % in the European foam glass market. The novel building system can have good environmental performance even when assuming long-distance distribution. This article advances in proposing future scenario analyses by identifying life cycle hotspots (e.g. energy intensity, cullet availability), including changes in production, suppliers and market demand. A prospective life cycle assessment allows to anticipate critical issues and provide recommendations for improvement.

On the Application of foam Glass in Interior Design

foam glass is the waste glass under the action of other materials to make a new type of mixed material, its itself has good stability, corrosion resistance, heat resistance, not combustion, remain normal at high and low temperature, exposed to oxidation in the air, in building indoor and outdoor insulation, noise reduction, waterproof moisturizing [1], etc. In this paper, through the classification, performance, use and other aspects of foam glass, and through the method of data comparative analysis, the foam glass and various materials are compared, the data show that the foam glass has a good effect than traditional glass and thermal insulation materials.

Turning Trash into Treasure: The Use of Vulcanized Ash Filters and Glass Waste for Renewable Energy

Abstract Biomethanation is a prospective method to integrate a renewable solar or wind power grid with a biogas grid, where excess energy can be used to produce hydrogen for the biomethanation of the biogas to produce biomethane. The use of biotrickling filter reactors with appropriate carrier materials for biomethanation is essential for the immobilisation of hydrogenotrophic methanogens on the surface of the packing material. This study tested the suitability of filter materials made from woodchip ash (FA and CA) and glass waste (GF) for methanogenesis in biotrickling filter reactors using comparative performance analysis. The readily available and widely used expanded clay pallets (EC) and polyurethane foam (PUF) in biomethanation were used for comparison. The manometric method and BMP test are used to determine the rate of CH4 production. CH4 produced using filter materials decreases in the order GF&gt;EC &gt;PUF&gt;FA&gt;CA, respectively. The physical parameters of tested materials are compared to other filter materials commonly used in biomethanation applications. Glass foam (GF) that is made from glass waste showed the best biomethane production rate of 201.2 NmL/Lmaterial, as it has the best physical properties for methanogenesis in biotrickling filter reactors such as low volume density, high external porosity, and neutral pH. Ash waste recycling is related to its specific chemical properties, as it is alkaline and contains heavy metals that can leach out and negatively affect living organisms.