Sintered sanidine glass-ceramics from industrial wastes

Glass obtained from melting a mixture of industrial wastes (panel glass from dismantled cathode ray tubes, mining residues from feldspar excavation and lime from fume abatement systems of the glass industry) has been employed for the production of sanidine-based glass-ceramics. The glass-ceramics were developed by a sintering treatment with concurrent crystallization, from fine powders (<37 μm), at a relatively low temperature (880 °C). The enhanced nucleating activity of glass surfaces likely promoted the formation of sanidine, hardly found in glass-ceramics, as the main crystal phase. Due to the achieved mechanical properties (bending strength of about 120 MPa, Vickers’ microhardness exceeding 7 GPa) and aesthetic appearance, resulting from a compact and homogeneous microstructure, the obtained sanidine glass-ceramics may find applications as construction materials.