High porosity glass foams from waste glass and compound blowing agent

The foaming behavior of waste glass green spheres mixed with carbonate was investigated at the temperatures of 680–800 °C. Effects of carbonate on the foaming process, microstructures and properties of the obtained glass foams were evaluated. Both the organic compounds and carbonate act as blowing agents during the foaming process. The results show that the carbonate effectively promotes the foaming process in the temperature range of 680–800 °C. The obtained glass foams show uniform microstructure, with bulk density, porosity and compressive strength values of 0.117–0.209 g/cm 3 , 91.7–95.4 % and 0.52–3.93 MPa, respectively. The high porosity glass foams have potential applications in many areas such as thermal insulation materials and sound absorption materials.