Soda ash, or sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), is a versatile alkali material, critical in the production of a litany of products and materials. From detergents and chemicals, to consumer products and water softeners, this material can be found in many of the products we interact with throughout …
Industrial sands are employed throughout a variety of industries, showing up in our daily lives in everything from electronics to paint, each application requiring sand to meet precise chemical and physical specifications.  A key aspect of sand’s ability to meet its intended application is the …
Why is material knowledge fundamental to process and product design? To answer that question, let’s suppose that you operate a glass treatment facility that sorts, crushes, and then melts recycled glass into a new product. You notice there is a significant loss in crushed glass …
This week’s photo illustrates the before and after of pelletized recycled glass. Glass bound for reuse is taken from recycling bins to a glass treatment plant where, after sorting, it is crushed up to be made into new glass products. This crushed glass is referred …
In an article for the Sydney Morning Herald, Melinda Ham outlines a few of the key processes by which waste is recycled and reused throughout Australia. As recycling becomes a necessity rather than a nicety, the importance of turning wastes into value-added products will become …