Development of high value-added products: from crushed glass to zeolite and active filtration media

In Canada, of the total amount of container glass in the market place (estimated at 850,000 tons per annum), only one-half is collected by recycling programs. The common technical and economic difficulties include the presence of organic and/or inorganic contaminants, which need to be reduced to below 0.05% for glasswork, as well as the issue of mixed color. The cost for making products with relatively low value such as glasswork and road aggregates from recycled glass can be prohibitive, providing no added incentive to improve glass recycling. One solution to this problem is to produce higher value end-products such as zeolite and active filtration media (i.e. calcium silicate hydrate) to make the process more economically attractive. The technology developed from this study can greatly increase the value of recycled glass, and therefore improve glass recycling rates.

Faculty Supervisor:

Qiuyan Yuan

Student:

Alireza Majdi Nasab

Partner:

Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation

Discipline:

Engineering - civil

Sector:

Environmental industry

University:

University of Manitoba