Effect of ark clam shell on crystal growth and mechanical evaluation of foam glass-ceramic derived from cullet glass waste

The solid-state sintering technique was used to successfully manufacture low-cost foam glass-ceramic utilising ark clamshell and cullet glass waste. The foam glass-ceramic has a composition of xACS-(100-x)SLS, where x = 1, 3, 6, and 9 wt%, and is classified as FGC1, FGC2, FGC3, and FGC4 as the ark clamshell content increases. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) findings reveal that when the ark clamshell composition increases, two main crystals with the appearance of C-O and Ca-O-Si bands grow as wollastonite (CaSiO3) and cristobalite (SiO2) phases. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) micrograph was used to confirm the porosity microstructure of the foam glass-ceramic aggregates. The sample with the greatest expansion (83.98%) yielded the lowest apparent density (0.699 g/cm3). The compressive strength measurement of the foam glass-ceramic aggregates was measured using GCF2 with 3 wt% of ACS. For a sample containing 3 wt % ACS, the maximum compressive strength value was 1.14 MPa, with an average total porosity of about 58.34%, and it has the potential to be employed in the construction sector.

Automated summary

The solid-state sintering technique was used to manufacture low-cost foam glass-ceramic using ark clamshell and cullet glass waste. The composition and structure of the foam glass-ceramic were analyzed using XRD, FTIR, and FESEM. The sample with 3 wt% ACS showed the highest compressive strength and potential for use in the construction sector.