Abstract
This work is devoted to search of possible applications for waste Cathode-Ray-Tube (CRT) glasses. Heavy elements contained in the glasses are required be buried land field by producers and recyclers of CRT's.<br />Foam glass seems to be the most promising for waste CRT glasses recycling. The foam glass is commercially available and a great amount of the CRT glass could potentially be used. The foam glass is obtained after heat treatment of a powder mixture of the CRT glass and reducing agent such as titanium nitride or silicone carbide. The basic principle of foam glass manufacture is to generate a gas, by reaction between the reducing agent and lead oxide contained in the funnel CRT glass. The gas expands thus producing a structure of cells to form a porous body.<br />A low density leads to high porosity, about eighty percent, and a single pore size distribution has been obtained between 0.3 and 0.5 µm depending on the reducing agent used. Lead metallic granules are observed on the pore surface.<br />The foam glasses obtained from the CRT glass are good insulators has evidenced by their low thermal conductivity (<0.25 W.m-1.K-1) and also possess good mechanical properties. The mechanical stress was obtained between 4 and 250 MPa and depends on synthesis process. The insulating properties are conserved.<br />This ensemble of properties permits to consider industrials applications of thermal insulation production, in agreement with environmental legislation.<br />A partial depollution by mechanical extraction of the lead metallic granules formed after heat treatment is possible.