SBIR Phase II: Evaporative Cooling Building Envelope Materials Created from Recycled Glass

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目专注于废旧玻璃的再利用，以产生传统砖石产品的高价值替代品。砖石制造商目前的产品不能满足建筑业的需求，因此正在失去市场份额。该行业寻求具有更高质量、一致性和性能的产品，以解决环境问题，同时保持成本竞争力。所开发的材料达到或超过了所有要求的性能标准，其高回收含量和低体现能量显著降低了生产成本。该第二阶段项目的研究目标包括通过挤压和扩大可用的废玻璃供应来扩大这一工艺。向挤压的过渡将需要增加我们材料的可塑性，研究将产生与砖石生产设备兼容的挤出物。这项工作还将探索污染对低温烧结玻璃材料微观结构和机械性能的影响；这将是此类工作的第一次。该项目的最终目标是通过冷挤压成功开发出第一个可用于工业生产的高循环含量玻璃复合浆料。该项目的广泛影响/商业潜力是巨大的。成功完成第二阶段活动将对玻璃回收和建筑行业产生积极影响。一个关键的结果将是开发一种新的、高效的玻璃制造工艺。这项工作将有助于科学地理解玻璃复合材料和多孔材料的塑性理论和力学行为。有机和无机污染物的评估，因为它们与先进的玻璃加工技术有关，将是此类研究的第一次。这项研究将为废旧玻璃提供一个商业出路，特别是目前无法回收的大量废旧玻璃，因此只需将其运往垃圾填埋场。这种材料将允许制造商采用高价值、具有成本竞争力的产品线，并通过提供传统表面材料的真正绿色替代方案，为建筑业带来价值。这种新型建筑材料的环境和社会影响包括通过减少能源消耗和相关的温室气体排放来改善环境质量，以及通过将固体废物储存基础设施的负担降至最低。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is focused on the reuse of waste glass to generate high-value replacements for traditional masonry products. Masonry manufacturers cannot meet the construction industry's needs with their status quo product and are therefore losing market share. The industry seeks products with higher quality, consistency and performance that address environmental concerns, while remaining cost competitive. The material which has been developed meets or exceeds all required performance standards, and its high recycle content and low embodied energy significantly reduce production costs. The research objectives for this Phase II project include scale-up of this process via extrusion and expansion of the usable waste glass supply. The transition to extrusion will require increasing the plasticity of our material and research will result in extrudates that are compatible with masonry production equipment. The effort will also explore the impacts of contamination on the microstructure and mechanical performance of glass materials sintered at low temperature; this work will be the first of its kind. The ultimate project goal is successful development of the first high-recycle content glass composite paste that is ready for industrial manufacturing via cold extrusion.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is significant. Successful completion of the Phase II activities will have a positive impact on both the glass recycling and construction industries. One key result will be the development of a novel, high-efficiency glass manufacturing process. This work will contribute to the scientific understanding of plasticity theory and mechanical behavior with respect to glass composites and porous materials. The evaluation of organic and inorganic contaminants, as they relate to advanced glass processing technologies, will be the first research of its kind. This research will provide a commercial outlet for waste glass, particularly the vast quantity that cannot currently be recycled, and therefore is simply hauled off to landfills. This material will allow manufacturers to adopt high-value, cost-competitive product lines and will also bring value to the construction industry by providing a truly green alternative to traditional facing materials. The environmental and societal impacts of this novel building material include improving environmental quality by decreasing energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions, and also by minimizing the burden on solid waste storage infrastructure.