Scientists Use Recycled Glass Waste as Sand Replacement in 3D Printing

upstart writes:

Scientists use recycled glass waste as sand replacement in 3D printing:

Glass is one material that can be 100 per cent recycled with no reduction in quality, yet it is one of the least recycled waste types. Glass is made up of silicon dioxide, or silica, which is a major component of sand, and therefore it offers significant untapped potential to be recycled into other products.

At the same time, due to growing populations, urbanisation and infrastructure development, the world is facing a shortage of sand, with climate scientists calling it one of the greatest sustainability challenges of the 21st century.

For these reasons, the NTU research team is seeking to find ways to recycle glass by 3D printing it into items for everyday use.

One of their innovations published recently in the Journal of Building Engineering, used a specially formulated concrete mix comprising recycled glass, commercial cement products, water, and additives to 3D print a concrete bench. By figuring out the optimal concrete formulation, the NTU research team was able to successfully 3D-print a 40cm tall L-shaped bench (see image) as a proof of concept that their material could be 3D printed into an everyday structural (weight-bearing) product.

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