title: Characteristics of waste automotive glasses as silica resource in ferrosilicon synthesis.
abstract: This fundamental research on end-of-life automotive glasses, which are difficult to recycle, is aimed at understanding the chemical and physical characteristics of waste glasses as a resource of silica to produce ferrosilicon. Laboratory experiments at 1550°C were carried out using different automotive glasses and the results compared with those obtained with pure silica. In situ images of slag-metal separation showed similar behaviour for waste glasses and silica-bearing pellets. Though X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed different slag compositions for glass and silica-bearing pellets, formation of ferrosilicon was confirmed. Synthesized ferrosilicon alloy from waste glasses and silica were compared by Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Silicon concentration in the synthesized alloys showed almost 92% silicon recovery from the silica-bearing pellet and 74-92% silicon recoveries from various waste glass pellets. The polyvinyl butyral (PVB) plastic layer in the windshield glass decomposed at low temperature and did not show any detrimental effect on ferrosilicon synthesis. This innovative approach of using waste automotive glasses as a silica source for ferrosilicon production has the potential to create sustainable pathways, which will reduce specialty glass waste in landfill.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT@UNSW) School of Materials Science and Engineering, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia r.farzana@student.unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Rifat
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Farzana
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT@UNSW) School of Materials Science and Engineering, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Ravindra
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rajarao
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT@UNSW) School of Materials Science and Engineering, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Veena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sahajwalla
mesh_terms: D001336:Automobiles; D005898:Glass / Q000032:analysis*; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis*; D059027:Recycling / Q000379:methods*; D017655:Silicon Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis*; D018505:Waste Management / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D017655:Silicon Compounds; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; C027394:ferrosilicon
keywords: Laminated glass; ferrosilicon alloy; glass recycling; silica; tempered glass