Laboratory of Heat Transfer and Environmental Engineering ...uest.ntua.gr/cyprus2016/proceedings/presentation/7.live_clay_glass_… · the best available techniques reference document

[email protected] http://[email protected] http://www.lifeclayglass.eu

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION THROUGH UTILIZATION OF RECYCLED GLASS AS FLUXING

AGENT IN THE STRUCTURAL CERAMICS INDUSTRY

[email protected] http://www.lifeclayglass.eu

Laboratory of Heat Transfer and Environmental EngineeringDepartment of Mechanical Engineering

Aristotle University Thessaloniki


Laboratory of Heat Transfer and Environmental Engineering (LHTEE)

http://aix.meng.auth.gr/lhtee/index.html

[email protected] http://[email protected] http://[email protected] http://www.lifeclayglass.eu

• Introduction to the LIFE Clayglass project,• EU glass sector overview , • Waste avoidance, separate collection of recyclables, sorting of

recyclables (paper, glass, metal, plastic, etc.),• Principles of waste management (e.g. EU approach),

• Polluter and producer pays principle, • Precautionary principle, • Waste hierarchy,

• Concept from cradle to grave


EU glass sector overview• The EU is the world's biggest producer of glass with a market

share of around one third of total world production. • In 2012, the sector employed 100 thousand people.

The glass sector covers• container glass (60% of output in tonnage, but about 54% in terms of value);

• flat glass (about 30% in both tonnage and value);• domestic glass, special glass, and reinforcement glass fibres.


Why the ceramic industry is important• Employment ‐ in 2012, the sector employed 100 thousand people;• Link to other sectors ‐ the industry is interlinked with other sectors such

as construction,automotive, domestic, and leisure.

Challenges faced by the glass industry• Crisis ‐ glass production in the EU was severely impacted by the economic

crisis. Germany is the EU’s biggest producer (one‐fifth of the volume produced), followed by France, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

• Trade ‐ the main challenges include competition, downstream bargaining power, energy prices and a lack of security of supply, substitution by other products, non‐EU country trade barriers, and the counterfeiting of European designs.


Competitiveness and innovation in the EU glass industry• Competitiveness – the EU glass industry is represented by large EU‐based

companies. The production process is energy intensive and the manufacturers have to face high start‐up costs and tied distribution channels.

• Innovation – process research and development has resulted in improvements to energy savings and environmental protection, a switch from fossil to non‐fossil energy, and glass fibre substituting metals and wood through composites.

• Export and import ‐ about 80% of the glass produced is traded within the EU.• Trade barriers – non‐EU countries with strong glass production have been

introducing non‐tariff trade barriers such as compulsory testing and certification schemes.


Sustainability of the EU glass industry• Energy efficiency ‐ glass production processes are energy intensive and the

industry aims to decrease its energy consumption.• Waste ‐ process waste is usually recycled back to the furnace, but for quality

reasons, there is a limit on the amount that can be recycled in sectors such as flat glass and glass fibre.

• Recycling ‐ one of the principal issues for the container glass industry is recycling. Glass packaging is infinitely recyclable and this can positively affect its popularity.

• Emissions ‐ are covered by the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) and in the best available techniques reference document BREF (4 MB) adopted by the Commission in December 2001. It is now under revision.

• Legislation ‐ the industry falls under the Directives on emissions trading, IED, REACH , packaging and packaging waste, end‐of‐life vehicles, and restrictions on hazardous substances.


From a linear economy …


… to a circular

economy


Circular, Zero Waste, Economy

Natural Resources &Resource Industries

•Air•Water•Land & Minerals•Energy•Biological

IndustrialProcesses, Distribution & Product Use

Waste & Pollution

Environmental Industry


Raw materials for the ceramics industry

The most important raw material for the ceramics industry, clay, is a sedimentary mineral. There are usually three types of clay used in ceramics: illites, kaolinites (mainly) and at a less extent smectites. Like any mineral, this is also a non‐renewable natural resource therefore deposits at some point will run out. On the other hand, glass is a material that is being used in several industrial processes and products, which has a very complex problem when it comes to its recovery, recycling or reuse.


(new) Technology and characteristics

• Basic manufacturing steps are the same.• The ceramic mix is differentiated since shredded glass is added

• The final product characteristics (mainly water absorption and mechanics resistance) are achieved at lower temperatures.

• The European standards are met by the new product


• The results obtained from the introduction of glass are satisfactory bothaesthetically and technologically.

• For obtaining good results you need to work with fractions of less than 63 microns.

• The higher the amount of added glass, the greater is the possible decreaseof firing temperature

• For temperatures below 950 ° C, the impact of glass is very limited and probably not profitable.

(new) Technology and characteristics


Characteristics of the materials used for testing

Sources of recovered glass that were used are:• Waste of Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE): Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT)

and screen glass.• Glass originating from end of life vehicles.• Glass mixed in the municipal solid waste (MSW) and/or Packaging glass and

packaging waste


METHODOLOGY

• To characterize clays the following analysis has been done:– Mineralogical analysis by x‐ray diffraction (RXD)– Chemical analysis by x‐ray fluorescence (RXF)– Dilatometry– Heating microscopy.

• X‐ray diffraction was used to analyze the mineralogy of clays, and x‐ray fluorescence was used to analyze the chemical composition clays and glasses in solid samples. The dilatometry and heating microscopy was done in a optic dilatometer MISURA 3.


Diffractograms


Dilatometric curve and heating microscopy


Environmental benefits

• Depending on the sources used for the estimation of the consumption the natural gas saving in consumption by ton of products manufactured, when the firing temperature is reduced by 150 oC (from 1250 oC to 1100 oC) is between 10 to 30%. For a medium size plant this means a carbon hydroxide emission reduction between 1800 and 4500 tons of CO2/year.


Conclusions

• The use of reclaimed glass, especially from diverse sources, is a priority for achieving the recycling goals set by the European Commission.

• Adding reclaimed glass as flux in the structural ceramics industrial process had as result a reduction in energy consumption

• CO2 emissions were reduced • Production cost was reduced due to the replacement of clay ‐ used as raw material ‐ with reclaimed glass


AKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The presentation was developed in the frame of the project titled “Adaptation of the structural ceramics industry to climate change by applying recycled glass as flux” (LIFE CLAYGLASS LIFE12/ENV/ES/000156) which is funded by the LIFE financial instrument of the European Community.


Thank you very much for your attention!

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Laboratory of Heat Transfer and Environmental Engineering ...uest.ntua.gr/cyprus2016/proceedings/presentation/7.live_clay_glass_… · the best available techniques reference document