An environmentally friendly process for preparing commercial ceramic foam composites based on frit/glass wastes

Considering the size of the amount of energy consumption in ovens during the production of gas ceramic foam materials in the ceramic industry, it can be stated that natural gas is one of the highest energy resources. Natural gas consumption during the production has been evaluated and financial analyses were made for saving consumption amounts. Raw materials and glass/frit wastes obtained from different regions were investigated and their chemical compositions were determined by X‐Rays fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) analysis. Compared to their current alternatives, glass foams with homogenous structure and low density were developed by adding frit/glass wastes in the amount of 80%‐90%. X‐Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis has been conducted for mineralogical investigation of the samples. Also, to analyze the pore sizes and examine the surface morphology of foams, SEM images were obtained. With the addition of glass/frit wastes, natural gas consumption decreased (ca. 20%‐25%) in firing process.