A method of recovering cullet from laminated glass scrap is disclosed. The laminated scrap is crushed to fragment the glass but the glass generally remains in bonding contact with the laminating interlayer. The crushed scrap is mixed as its temperature is increased so that the laminating interlayer softens to permit the interlayer to be torn thus reducing the size of the scrap. The finally divided scrap is heated to a temperature at which the interlayer burns away. Any carbon residue left on the crushed scrap is also burned away. The crushed scrap is cooled and recovered as cullet.

For thermally treating waste and/or residual materials, in particular fiber glass, glass silk, glass wool and glass mat coated with organic materials, a drum (1) with embedded elements is used to make the materials circulate. In this drum the materials are heated up to a temperature at least equal to the carbonization and/or evaporation temperature of the coatings but lower than the softening temperature of the materials. The waste or residual materials are preferably increasingly disaggregated in the drum and are heated by a stream of hot gas which flows in the drum from the discharge side (11) to the inlet side (4) and has its highest temperature at the discharge side.

A method and apparatus for the reclamation of inorganic fibers from waste continuous strips of inorganic fibers. A binding agent, such as an organic binder, must be removed before the fibers can be reused or further processed. One or more layers of continuous strips are conveyed to a heating zone where the strips 42 are supported along a predetermined path as a heating fluid is drawn rapidly through the strips. The heating fluid is controlled as to temperature, pressure and mass flow rate to insure that the binder is properly decomposed and that the products of decomposition are rapidly carried away from the strips to prevent heat buildup which could cause a temperature increase to the fusion point of the fibers. Process temperatures are thus suitably controlled to below the fusion temperature of the fiber material. The reclaimable fiber may be directly recycled, further processed as desired or, in the case where binder is still present on the fibers in unacceptable levels, these non-reclaimable fibers may be dumped for subsequent disposal. Products of binder decomposition are incinerated and form part of the heating fluid drawn through the strips.

The disclosed invention pertains to a process for melting glass in which scrap glass fibers containing carbonaceous material to provide a carbon content of 0.4%-0.04% in a batch is combined with batch materials in which the scrap amounts to 5%-25% by the weight of the batch. The batch is melted under oxidizing conditions and the resultant melt is used to form glass fibers.

A process for neutralizing the toxic nature of organo-metallic antifouling (AF) paint particles, in intimate mixture with spent abrasive particles, derived from the abrasive blasting of ships' hulls. The spent abrasive containing the organo-metallic paint residue is collected and heated in a vapor-tight furnace which is fitted with a safety pressure release valve. When the ignition temperature of the organo-metallic paint is exceeded, the organo-metallic paint particles are oxidized to a harmless, non-toxic metal oxide, which may be safely disposed of. Volatile organo-metallic paint vapors are drawn through an after-burner so that exhaust residue consist only of non-polluting carbon dioxide and water vapor. Metallic elements of commercial value, such as tin, may be recovered from the processed abrasive, which may also be reusable. To ensure complete combustion, air is fed into the combustion furnace from a blower fan, compressor, or other external source.