Towards a quality protocol for enabling the reuse of post-consumer flat glass

Abstract

Architectural flat glass typically follows a linear life cycle. Its recyclability potential is not yet fully exploited due to the challenges of collecting it as well as the issues in quality compatibility with a float furnace. While the challenges of recycling glass remain, there might be the opportunity to do even more than recycling: reuse. A robust reuse practice calls for a qualification of the properties and performances by means of a quality protocol as well as the identification of the new use. This study explored the prospect of reusing post-consumer architectural flat glass panes for remanufacturing in insulating glass units. A set of IGUs harvested from residential buildings in Belgium was disassembled manually in the laboratory and the collected glass panes were classified in different quality levels as a function of the size and density of surface defects. The influence of the lifespan of the insulating glass as well as the face of the insulating glass unit was also considered. Through this study, it was found that post-consumer glass with high surface quality can exhibit similar strength values of pre-consumer glass. This suggest that it would be possible to reuse post-consumer glass in a safe and valid manner.

Case Study on the Re-use Potential of Insulated Glass Units

“…Despite this, it is rarely stated that breaking glass to recycle as cullet renders all of the embodied carbon except the just stated benefits useless. Taking into account that currently pre-consumer glass cullets and rarely post-consumer cullets contribute to the production of glass for the building sector due to furnace compatibility and contaminations, it is questionable if investing energy to produce cullets that need to be reheated in contrast to invest energy to use whole glass panes is the most sustainable way (Rota et al 2023;Geboes et al 2022).…”

Remanufacturing insulated glazing: five levers through value network mapping of two pioneering projects

“…Ideally, direct reuse see Figure 1a of the unit would be recommended because no additional and impactful DFWLRQV DUH UHTXLUHG besides WUDQVSRUWDWLRQ )RU H[DPSOH DQ HQWLUH ,*8 FDQ EH FROOHFWHG IURP D building's façade and reinstalled in another. Yet, "this operation makes sense only if weighted against its remaining service-life" states Rota et al [8] Therefore, the in-situ screening method by Van Nieuwenhuijzen et al could be used to estimate the direct reuse potential of a post-FRQVXPHU ,*8. 1E.…”

“…1E. For remanufacturing, it is thus necessary to disassemble the entire ,*8 5RWD HW DO VXJJHVWV LQWHJUDWLQJ WKH GLVDVVHPEOLQJ IDFLOLW\ ZLWKLQ DQ ,*8 SURFHVVLQJ IDFWRU\ due to logistical and infrastructural advantages [8]. Combining the assembly and disassembly RI ,*8V in the same plant facilitates the remanufacturing process, because an additional transportation step can be avoided.…”

“…Last, Rota et al states that "all the glass that does not qualify for reuse but qualifies for recycling could be transported back to the float plant on the return journey of the fleet delivering new glass to the processing plant". [8]…”

Re-Glass: Product Development Pathways for Post-Consumer Glass

“…In markets where extensive exposure to UV and high heat may not be as predominant as in the Southwest of the US, such observations should be revisited. Reclaimed glazed systems need integration in a thermally improved system (Zaccaria et al, 2023), which is likely to be another logistical premium, making this a non-desirable cost for any client in the California market, today, in the absence of significant policy change and incentives. Glass recycling's fate here like in many other markets and industry is mostly driven by logistics and value-proposition.…”