I-Corps: Manufacturing Process for Recycled Glass Pozzolan

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the commercialization of a technology that will allow up to 80% of the waste glass (silicon oxides) in the United States to be reused, diverting 5.6 million tons from the landfill. According to the EPA, 7 million tons of waste glass is sent to the landfill annually. The proposed technology uses a pozzolan, a cement replacement that commonly replaces 20% of the cement used in standard mixes with glass materials (here, silicon dioxide) in the manufacturing industry.

Generally for every 1 ton of cement produced, 1 ton of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, is released. This translates to one house foundation of cement producing the CO2 emissions equivalent of driving a car for 2.5-years. The EPA estimates that the cement industry produces 86.8 million metric tons of CO2 each year, exceeding emissions by the aviation industry.

For every 5 tons of the newly developed cement replacement material used, the equivalent of one car is taken off the road in terms of CO2. At full scale, the concrete industry could see a carbon savings equivalent of taking 1.75 million cars off the road every year.

This I-Corps project will explore the commercial potential and commercialization strategies for a new process to take waste glass from the recycling industry and turn it into a pozzolan called Pantheon™. Concrete is normally made from gravel, sand, water, and cement. Water and cement react to form calcium silicate hydrate, which is the glue that holds concrete together.

A pozzolan is a cement replacement that commonly replaces 20% of the cement used in standard mixes in the concrete manufacturing industry. Currently, the most common pozzolan on the market is fly ash from coal power plants. Pantheon™ offers superior properties and performance.

First, Pantheon™ has a 13.4% higher concentration of silicon dioxide, the active ingredient in pozzolans. Second Pantheon™ has 19% fewer impurities than fly ash. This results in a concrete that is less expensive, more environmentally friendly, and 11% stronger than what is currently on the market.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.