INDUSTRIAL GLASSMAKING

Industrial glassmaking The raw materials Chemical compounds Glasses of commercial importance are composed of a variety of chemical compounds; these are described in Glass compositions and applications, and the constituents of the major oxide glasses are listed in Table 1. For glass manufacture on an industrial scale, these chemical compounds must be obtained from properly sized, cleaned, and treated minerals that have been preanalyzed for impurity. Silica is obtained from clean sand. Appropriate mineral sources for soda are soda ash (sodium carbonate) and sodium hydroxide. Lime is obtained from limestone (calcium carbonate) or from dolomite (calcium magnesium carbonate) when magnesium oxide is also needed. In the past it was customary to add about 0.25 percent arsenic oxide and 0.5 percent sodium nitrate to aid in glass fining, or removal of bubbles. These chemicals are no longer recommended in view of hazards to the individual and the environment; instead, less noxious compounds such as sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, or sodium nitrate are recommended. Cullet In addition to the mineral ingredients such as those listed above, a glass batch traditionally consists of 25 to 60 percent cullet. Cullet is crushed rejected glass, generally of the same composition as the mineral mixture, that is included because its early melting in the furnace brings the mineral particles together, resulting in accelerated reactions.