I-Corps: Manufacturing Process for Recycled Glass Pozzolan

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是一项技术的商业化，该技术将使美国80%的废玻璃（氧化硅）得到再利用，从垃圾填埋场转移560万吨。根据美国环保署的数据，每年有700万吨废玻璃被送往垃圾填埋场。拟议中的技术使用了火山灰，这是一种水泥替代品，通常可以替代制造业中玻璃材料（这里是二氧化硅）标准混合物中20%的水泥。一般来说，每生产一吨水泥，就会释放一吨二氧化碳（一种温室气体）。这意味着，一所房子的水泥地基所产生的二氧化碳排放量相当于驾驶一辆汽车2.5年。美国环保署估计，水泥行业每年产生8680万吨二氧化碳，超过航空业的排放量。每使用5吨新开发的水泥替代材料，就相当于减少了一辆汽车的二氧化碳排放量。全面实施后，混凝土行业所节省的碳排放量相当于每年减少175万辆汽车。这个I-Corps项目将探索一种新工艺的商业潜力和商业化策略，该工艺将回收行业的废玻璃转化为名为Pantheon™的pozzolan。混凝土通常由砾石、沙子、水和水泥制成。水和水泥反应形成水合硅酸钙，这是将混凝土粘合在一起的粘合剂。火山灰是一种水泥替代品，通常可以替代混凝土制造行业标准混合物中20%的水泥。目前，市场上最常见的火山灰是燃煤电厂的飞灰。Pantheon™提供卓越的性能和性能。首先，Pantheon™的二氧化硅浓度高出13.4%，二氧化硅是火山灰中的有效成分。第二万神殿™的杂质比飞灰少19%。这使得混凝土更便宜，更环保，比目前市场上的混凝土强度高11%。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the commercialization of a technology that will allow up to 80% of the waste glass (silicon oxides) in the United States to be reused, diverting 5.6 million tons from the landfill. According to the EPA, 7 million tons of waste glass is sent to the landfill annually. The proposed technology uses a pozzolan, a cement replacement that commonly replaces 20% of the cement used in standard mixes with glass materials (here, silicon dioxide) in the manufacturing industry. Generally for every 1 ton of cement produced, 1 ton of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, is released. This translates to one house foundation of cement producing the CO2 emissions equivalent of driving a car for 2.5 years. The EPA estimates that the cement industry produces 86.8 million metric tons of CO2 each year, exceeding emissions by the aviation industry. For every 5 tons of the newly developed cement replacement material used, the equivalent of one car is taken off the road in terms of CO2. At full scale, the concrete industry could see a carbon savings equivalent of taking 1.75 million cars off the road every year. This I-Corps project will explore the commercial potential and commercialization strategies for a new process to take waste glass from the recycling industry and turn it into a pozzolan called Pantheon™. Concrete is normally made from gravel, sand, water, and cement. Water and cement react to form calcium silicate hydrate, which is the glue that holds concrete together. A pozzolan is a cement replacement that commonly replaces 20% of the cement used in standard mixes in the concrete manufacturing industry. Currently, the most common pozzolan on the market is fly ash from coal power plants. Pantheon™ offers superior properties and performance. First, Pantheon™ has a 13.4% higher concentration of silicon dioxide, the active ingredient in pozzolans. Second Pantheon™ has 19% fewer impurities than fly ash. This results in a concrete that is less expensive, more environmentally friendly, and 11% stronger than what is currently on the market.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.