Elaboration and characterisation of foam glass from cathode ray tubes

Abstract

Research into the recycling of electronics waste materials, such as cathode ray tubes (CRTs) and in particular their component glasses, is required by both French and European legislation. One possible solution to the problem of CRT glass waste is to convert it into foam glass, a material with very promising properties. Foam glasses can be prepared from CRT glasses containing heavy elements (lead, barium) through reaction with a reducing agent such as TiN or SiC. The present experimental study sought to determine the mechanism of foam glass formation and the structural differences between bulk and foam glasses. Additionally, the specific characteristics of bulk and foam glasses such as density, porosity, thermal and mechanical properties were determined, as well as their structural characteristics, using X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results indicate that reutilisation of CRT glass in the form of foam glass is a very promising recycling option.

Lead recovery and the feasibility of foam glass production from funnel glass of dismantled cathode ray tube through pyrovacuum process

“…Waste CRT, containing high content of Pb in the funnel glass (20-30% PbO [7]), has been listed by the China EPA as hazardous waste. It has been reported that this type of waste accounts for approximately 47% by weight of commercial electronic devices and 30% by weight of data processing equipment [8].…”

Effective utilization of waste cathode ray tube glass—Crystalline silicotitanate synthesis

“…Thus far, many studies have been carried out on CRT glass treatments [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. In previous years, CRT glass was generally cleaned, sorted and sent to glass manufacturers for new CRT glass manufacturing.…”

“…In previous years, CRT glass was generally cleaned, sorted and sent to glass manufacturers for new CRT glass manufacturing. Currently, due to the extreme reduction in CRT production, much attention had been attracted to the recycle of CRT glass as a secondary raw material, such as reutilization as glaze [4,5], glass ceramic [6], foam glass [7][8][9][10][11][12] and glass matrix composites [13][14][15][16]. Nevertheless, these methods paid little attention to the environmental security, since the prepared products still contain dangerous heavy metals, which should be removed or separated.…”

Detoxification effect of chlorination procedure on waste lead glass

“…The cathode ray tube can be divided into three parts namely, (a) electron gun, (b) front panel glass, and (c) funnel glass. As containing high amount of lead, which necessary for absorbing the UV and X radiation produced by the electron gun, waste CRT funnel glass is considered as a hazardous waste [3]. Because broken lead containing glass will leach lead when mixed with acid water, land filling of this material is forbidden in most part of the world.…”