Tableware, giftware, tiles, and other consumer products made from molten glass pressed in a mold. It is comparable to pressed glass made from virgin material. Using cullet in batch requires less energy and causes fewer air emissions. Pressed glass is higher value-added than bottles and has more tolerant specifications.
Drainage Aggregate
Aggregate fill used to quickly drain moisture out of area; also used to filter or treat water. Cullet’s capability to remove solids and improve the turbidity of waste water is equal to or better than natural aggregates because of its particle angularity, and it might also aid in oxygenating water. Its permeability is equivalent to conventional aggregates.
Hydroponics
A growing medium for soil less gardening. Cullet is free flowing and easily sterilized compared with competing materials.
Utility Bedding and Backfill
Aggregate used for filling cavities around underground utility lines including pipes, conduits and fiber optic cables. Cullet does dual service as an aggregate and as a warning marker, alerting construction diggers to the location of utility lines. Cullet is easier to work with than sand in wet conditions.
Rockwool
Thermal insulation made from metallurgical slag or basaltic rock. Rockwool made with cullet has excellent firesafing and sound attenuation properties.
Ground cullet, which is made from silica can be used with sand as
Sand Traps
Used in golf course sand traps.
Sandblasting
Glass fines used for surface finishing.
Septic Fields
Used as a septic field.
Traction Sand
Used by railroads to provide traction under the wheels of trains.
Ground cullet is used for pollution control as
Landfill Cover
Soil used to cover closed landfills. Cullet shows good compaction and has lower processing costs than most other aggregate applications because of less stringent specifications for gradation and contamination.
Oil Spill Cleanup
Cellular glass nodules used to absorb oil for burning in oil spills. The low density of foamglass nodules cause bouyancy, while open cells soak up oil through capillary action. The efficacy of this method is equal to other oil burning systems. This method is cost competitive compared to detergents and less expensive than other burning agents.
Vibratory-Cast Wall Panels
Bricks and panels made of construction rubble and glass produced by vibratory casting and firing. The panels are 2-3 times stronger than concrete blocks and more water resistant than conventional facing panels. Complex shapes can be manufactured. Use of cullet decreases the firing temperature and time, lowering costs.
Ground cullet is used for the following flooring and tile applications
Industrial Flooring
Processed glass used as a substitute for silica sand to create a non-skid surface on flooring. Trials indicate glass performs as well as or better than silica sand. Floor surface has good traction.
Sintered Mosaic Tile
Glass tiles made by combining ground glass with a binder, compressing and heating. It is comparable with melted glass mosaic tiles, but can be produced at much lower temperatures, conserving fuel. The tile will accept a coloring agent. It has lower production costs and requires a lower capital investment than traditional melting processes.
Synthetic Marble
A marble imitation composite made of glass granules in a resin matrix. Cheaper than natural marble and has improved wear and weathering characteristics. The coloring can be closely controlled and shapes can be molded. There is more control of end product consistency than with natural marble.
Terrazzo
An exposed aggregate flooring. Use of cullet in terrazzo enhances its flexural strength and superior abrasion resistance.
Glass-Mica Composite
A mineral composite material suitable for rigid insulation applications. Glass-mica composite has good thermal insulation values and high strength. It is a better insulator and has higher strength than foamglass.
Glass-Polymer-Composite (GPC Sewer Pipe)
A glass-resin composite cast into sewer pipe. Glass-polymer-composite has 2 - 4 times the strength of concrete pipe, is highly resistant to the acidic corrosion often found in sewers, and is not subject to abrupt failures, the hydrostatic leaking and permeability problems of concrete. GPC pipe is easy to machine and easier to install because of its lighter weight.
Ground cullet is used as a Wastewater Filter Medium. Electromagnetized bed of crushed glass used for cleaning municipal and hazardous waste waters. System filtration is efficient, high quality, and highly reliable compared to other systems. Municipal waste water can be cleaned to tertiary standards. Retrofitting can increase the capacity of an existing municipal system by decreasing the pressure drop through the system. System takes up less space than does does a conventional system and gives higher backwash rates and shorter backwash cycles. It reduces both water and chemical costs and because it is non-chemical treatment. Environmental liability is reduced. The system reduces sludge waste by 80%, eliminates the discharge of shop water into sewers, and lasts 10 times longer than sand. Installation costs are comparable to conventional systems and the operating costs are significantly lower.