How to melt glass with a blowtorch
Glass is a hard substance, usually shiny and transparent, composed mainly of products found in nature: silica, lime and sodium carbonate that fuse at high temperatures. It is considered an amorphous solid, because it is neither solid nor liquid, but exists in a glassy state. On cooling it becomes a hard, shiny material with no grain structure.
1.1. Flat Glass: for use in Construction: windows. For use in Automotive: windshields, rear windows, rear-view mirrors, for use in Household Appliances: the so-called white line (kitchen ovens, refrigerators, heaters, etc.).
To manufacture it, it is necessary to melt the silica, which melts at a very high temperature (1700 °C). To reduce the melting temperature and make the mass more manageable, soda is added. But the glass thus obtained is not very durable, so lime is added to increase its hardness and chemical durability.
The most important property of soda-lime glass is its high light transmission capacity, its smooth and non-porous surface which makes it especially suitable for use as containers because it is easy to clean, and due to its chemical inertness it does not contaminate the contents nor will it affect the taste of the food stored in it.
What is done with recycled glass
Recycling glass is of utmost importance to avoid the exploitation of natural resources and reduce energy consumption responsible for the creation of this type of raw materials. In this article we tell you in detail what is the real impact of recycling this material and how to do it.
Glass recycling is one of the materials that allow to reuse much of the discarded material, hence its importance. The ideal way to recycle this material is to store in your business, company or home, all kinds of jars, bottles or glass containers once they have been properly washed. This will greatly facilitate the process of recycling glass.
Glass can be reused
Answer certified by an expert The main element for the manufacture of glass is silica sand, or it can also be clay. These elements are mixed with other materials and heated in furnaces at very high temperatures, over a thousand degrees. This is how the change from solid to liquid material takes place.
The main component (raw material) of glass is sand. In it, there is an element called silica (71%) which is the basis for making glass. In a process of about 24 hours, the mixture of raw materials and calcin is melted in a 1500ºC furnace.
Glass is made from the silica in the sand and other substances such as sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and limestone (CaCO3). We could say that it is made from 3 substances, a mixture of quartz sand, soda and lime. These 3 elements are melted in a kiln at very high temperatures, approximately 1,400ºC to 1,600ºC.
It is an inorganic product that is born from the mixture and fusion at high temperatures of sand, soda, dolomite, feldspar, minor aggregates and cullet (recycled glass), which upon solidification becomes rigid but without crystallization.
What can be done with glass
The glass recycling container is the green one. It collects only and exclusively different types of glass containers. We know that in many occasions it is a bit confusing to remember which waste and materials go in which container. And, who has not ever doubted whether the lids of glass bottles and jars go in the green container or in the yellow one? To resolve this and more possible doubts about what waste should be deposited in the green container for glass recycling, you can consult the following list. What can be thrown in the glass container? In this other post of EcologíaVerde you can learn more about What can be recycled in the green container.
Glass has infinite lives! It is a 100% recyclable material that, in addition, does not lose its quality no matter how much it is reused or recycled. Therefore, as we can imagine, the advantages of recycling glass are very valuable. For example, with the simple recycling of 3 glass bottles: Here you can find out more advantages and learn why it is important to recycle glass. As you can see, recycling glass is all advantages! Do not hesitate and share this information so that more and more homes, offices and other businesses join the recycling of glass.