Contribuições para a sustentabilidade na construção: comparação do vidro de cinza de casca com o vidro comercial para aplicação em aberturas

Abstract

Glass is a material used on a large scale worldwide. In addition to its widespread application, extensive environmental damage is caused for its production to take place. This is because sand, the main raw material used in its production, is a product of mining. Sustainable raw materials that replace sand as a source of silica are already a reality, such as rice husk ash, for example. Expanding the use of agro-industrial waste from rice husks, rice husk ash is an alternative source of silica for mineral sand in glass manufacturing. This innovative and sustainable approach requires further in-depth investigation to determine whether this sustainable glass can be applied and replace commercial mineral sand glass in its applications. One of the major uses of glass is in construction, such as doors, windows, and facades, among others.This study aimed to analyze properties relevant to the applications of glass in construction, especially when used in openings, such as chemical and mechanical resistance, according to existing Brazilian standards. Thus, it was analyzed whether glass produced at low temperatures (1200°C) with rice husk ash resembles in chemical, physical, and mechanical properties the commercially available glass with ore sand, manufactured under the same conditions, and the commercial glass from a glassworks. Performance comparison was verified regarding density, microbubble density, thermal shock, acid attack, water absorption, hardness, UV-Vis, and heat transmission.The results obtained show that glass with rice husk ash produced at low temperatures performs similarly to commercially available mineral sand glass, except for chemical resistance. Therefore, it becomes a promising, economical, and, above all, sustainable alternative that can be applied in construction. Keywords: Commercial glass; sustainable glass; construction industry.