Preparation of glass-ceramic foams from the municipal solid waste slag produced by plasma gasification process

The glass-ceramic foams were prepared using high content of municipal solid waste (MSW) slag (50-70%) generated by plasma gasification process. Calcium carbonate and sodium borate were used as foaming agent and flux agent, respectively. The effects of different sintering temperature on the density, mechanical strength and crystalline phases were discussed. The results showed that the glass-ceramic foams with 70 wt% MSW slag sintered at 920 degrees C exhibited an excellent strength-to-density ratio (crushing strength exceeding 2.5 MPa, with a density below 0.3 g/cm(3)), due to the precipitation of micro-crystals. The preparation of foams utilizing high content of MSW slag eliminates the problem of its disposal and displays huge commercial interests. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.