Landfilling and stockpiling unrecycled colored container glass represents a considerable failure in sustainability with respect to the conservation of energy and mineral resources. In this study, the single-step hydrothermal synthesis of low-silica zeolites from a mixture of waste green container glass and aluminum foil (Al:Si = 1) in 4 M NaOH(aq) at 125 °C was followed at 1, 3, 7 and 14 days. The principal phases, sodalite and cancrinite, appeared within 1 day accompanied by minor quantities of hydrogarnet and tobermorite arising from a stoichiometric excess of calcium ions in the parent glass. Products of 63, 67, 71 and 72% crystallinity were obtained at 1, 3, 7 and 14 days, respectively, with partial successive conversion of sodalite to cancrinite over time. Ion-exchange and catalytic applications of sodalite and cancrinite arise from the high anionic charge of the 1:1 ratio of alternating SiO4 4-and AlO4 5units within their aluminosilicate frameworks. In this respect, the uptake capacity of the 14-day zeolitic product for Cu 2+ and Cd 2+ ions (1.58 meq g-1 and 1.66 meq g-1 , respectively) was within the expected range for zeolites and compared favorably with those reported for other inorganic sorbents derived from industrial and municipal wastes. The 14-day product was also found to be an effective basic heterogeneous catalyst for the Knoevenagel condensation reaction.

Synthetic 11 Å tobermorite (Ca5Si6O16(OH)2.4H2O) and its Al-substituted analogue are layer-lattice ion-exchangers with potential applications in nuclear and hazardous wastewater treatment. The present study reports the facile one-pot hydrothermal synthesis of an Al-tobermorite-rich cation-exchanger from a combination of paper recycling ash, post-consumer container glass, and lime, with compositional ratios of [Ca]/[Si + Al] = 0.81 and [Al]/[Si + Al] = 0.18. The reaction products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction analysis, 29Si magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Hydrothermal processing in 4 M NaOH(aq) at 100 °C for 7 days yielded an Al-tobermorite-rich product that also contained katoite (Ca3Al2SiO12H8), portlandite (Ca(OH)2), calcite (CaCO3), and amorphous silicate gel. The hydrothermal product was found to have a Cs+ cation exchange capacity of 59 ± 4 meq 100 g−1 and selective Cs+ distribution coefficients (Kd) of 574 ± 13 and 658 ± 34 cm3 g−1 from solutions with molar ratios [Cs+]:[Na+] and [Cs+]:[Ca2+] of 1:100. In a batch sorption study at 20 °C, the uptakes of Pb2+, Cd2+, and Cs+ were determined to be 1.78 ± 0.04, 0.65 ± 0.06, and 0.36 ± 0.03 mmol g−1, respectively. The kinetics of Pb2+, Cd2+, and Cs+ removal were described by the pseudo-second-order rate model, which gave respective rate constants (k2) of 0.010, 0.027, and 1.635 g mmol−1 min−1, and corresponding correlation coefficients (R2) of 0.997, 0.996, and 0.999. The metal ion sorption properties of the tobermorite-rich product compared favorably with those of other waste-derived tobermorites reported in the literature. Potential strategies to improve the yield, crystallinity, and sorption characteristics of the product are discussed.

A polymer-mineral composite was prepared by solvent casting a mixture of chitosan, poly(vinyl alcohol), and Ag+-exchanged tobermorite in dilute acetic acid and characterised by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Thein vitrobioactivity of the CPTAg membrane was confirmed by the formation of hydroxyapatite on its surface in simulated body fluid. The alkaline dissolution products of the tobermorite lattice buffered the acidic breakdown products of the chitosan polymer and the presence of silver ions resulted in marked antimicrobial action againstS. aureus,P. aeruginosa, andE. coli. Thein vitrocytocompatibility of the CPTAg membrane was confirmed using MG63 osteosarcoma cells. The findings of this preliminary study have indicated that chitosan-poly(vinyl alcohol)-Ag+-tobermorite composites may be suitable materials for guided tissue regeneration applications.

The underutilized cement-rich fine fraction of concrete-based demolition waste is a potential sorbent for aqueous metal ion contaminants. In this study, crushed concrete fines (CCF) were found to exclude 33.9 mg g−1 of Cr3+, 35.8 mg g−1 of Ni2+, and 7.16 mg g−1 of Sr2+ from ~1000 ppm single metal nitrate solutions (CCF:solution 25 mg cm−3) under static batch conditions at 20 °C after 3 weeks. The removal of Sr2+ followed a pseudo-second-order reaction (k2 = 3.1 × 10−4 g mg−1 min−1, R2 = 0.999), whereas a pseudo-first-order model described the removal of Cr3+ (k1 = 2.3 × 10−4 min−1, R2 = 0.998) and Ni2+ (k1 = 5.7 × 10−4 min−1, R2 = 0.991). In all cases, the principal mechanism of interaction was the alkali-mediated precipitation of solubility-limiting phases on the surface of the CCF. Four consecutive deionized water leaching procedures (CCF:water 0.1 g cm−3) liberated 0.53%, 0.88%, and 8.39% of the bound Cr3+, Ni2+, and Sr2+ species, respectively. These findings indicate that CCF are an effective sorbent for the immobilization and retention of aqueous Cr3+ and Ni2+ ions, although they are comparatively ineffectual in the removal and sustained exclusion of Sr2+ ions. As is commonly noted with Portland cement-based sorbents, slow removal kinetics, long equilibrium times, the associated release of Ca2+ ions, high pH, and the formation of loose floc may preclude these materials from conventional wastewater treatments. This notwithstanding, they are potentially suitable for incorporation into permeable reactive barriers for the containment of metal species in contaminated groundwaters, sediments, and soils.