Scientists develop a process that turns non-recyclable glass into toothpaste and other useful stuff
Thanks to a team of researchers from the University of Queensland, it is now possible to put non-recyclable glass to good use. At present, only a tiny fraction of glass is actually recycled. Since it is quite difficult to sort and separate the smaller fragments, they usually end up in our landfills.
The researchers have, however, invented a process that can turn non-recyclable glass into everything from tires to toothpaste.
University PhD candidate Rhys Pirie said that a chemical found in drain cleaner can break down glass into silica which can then be extracted for commercial uses for substances such as adhesives, detergents, ingredients in cleaning compounds, cements, binders, and coatings.
“We are taking waste glass that is currently going to the landfill because it is too small to be sorted into the right color,” said Pirie. “Glass is about 70 to 75% silica. You need about 2.9 pounds (1.3 kg) of glass to make 1kg of silica. Most of that goes into sellable products, so we have very little waste at the end of it.”