Glasses, Frits and Glass-Ceramics: Processes and Uses in the Context of Circular Economy and Waste Vitrification

Abstract

For decades, experts have paid considerable scientific and technological attention to the possibility of recycling waste that has reached nature as a result of mining activities related to natural stone, extracting metal or using foreign matter to recover natural environments. Several authors have shown that many of these types of waste can be vitrified or synthesised with an appropriately designed composition, not just to decrease their size but (as is more interesting from a financial point of view) to produce a wide range of glassy and/or ceramic materials that can have uses in industry and, crucially, in the construction sector (building and public works). In this paper, we conduct a comprehensive analysis of the state of the art, defining the different types of materials and their uses in order to decisively contribute to the circular economy and the zero-waste approach. We analyse the achievements accomplished in recent decades to be able to generate novel innovative ideas for collecting new eco-materials.