Foam glass processing using a polishing glass powder residue

Abstract The foaming behavior of a powder residue/waste of a soda-lime window glass polishing facility was investigated at the temperatures between 700 and 950 °C. The results showed that the foaming of the glass powder started at a characteristic temperature between 670 and 680 °C. The maximum volume expansions of the glass powder and the density of the foams varied between 600% and 750% and 0.206 and 0.378 g cm−3, respectively. The expansion of the studied glass powder residue resulted from the decomposition of the organic compounds on the surfaces of the glass powder particles, derived from an oil-based coolant used in the polishing. The collapse stress of the foams ranged between ∼1 and 4 MPa and the thermal conductivity between 0.048 and 0.079 W K−1 m−1. Both the collapse stress and thermal conductivity increased with increasing the foam density. The foams showed the characteristics of the compression deformation of the open cell brittle foams, which was attributed to the relatively thick cell edges.