Study on Factors Affecting Properties of Foam Glass Made from Waste Glass

Foam glass is a new green material to make use of waste glass and is popular for its energy-saving and light weight features. The problems in the current study of foam glass is that its properties require improvement to match the growing demands of application specific standards. Properties of foam glass is related to its porous structure, which is affected by various factors. The influence of raw material component, foaming agents and sintering system on the porous structure and properties of foamed glass is studied. Density decreases with the decrease of quartz and barite content. Thermal conductivity is more affected by barite content, and the lowest thermal conductivity is obtained when 10% quartz and 6% borax are added. Compressive strength is more affected by borax content, and the highest compressive strength is obtained when 5% quartz, 10% barite and 6% borax are added. Foam glass samples with different porous structures and improved properties are obtained using graphite and CaCO3 as foaming agents. Compared with the soldcommercial foam glass for thermal insulation materials, the compressive strength of samples prepared by using compound foaming agents is increased by a factor of 2-3 times higher. With porous structure and properties adjusted by the optimization of raw materials and foaming agent, there exists the potential for factories to produce foam glass with expanded application scope.