COMPOSITE STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a composite structure, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a composite structure in the form of a construction board including crushed recycled glass.

Background of the Invention

When recycling glass, the different types/colours of glass are categorised and are sorted according to their categorisation for further processing. There exists a problem in that fragments of glass too small to categorise are discarded and accumulate in storage, typically in large piles as they are unable to be used in the normal recycling process.

Examples of the present invention seek to solve or at least alleviate the above problem, by providing a use for the fragments which enables the stores of non- categorisable glass to be converted into a valuable product.

Summary of the Invention

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a composite structure including waste glass.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a composite structure including particulate glass.

Preferably, the glass is crushed, ground and/or powdered.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a composite structure comprising crushed, ground and/or powdered glass.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of utilising particulate glass, including the step of forming a composite structure from the particulate glass.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of utilising waste glass, including the step of forming a composite structure from the waste glass.

Preferably, the method includes the steps of processing the waste glass; combining the processed glass with a bonding material to form a slurry; and separating solid material from the slurry to form the composite structure.

In one form, the step of processing the glass includes crushing, grinding and/or powdering the glass.

Preferably, the method further includes the step of placing the slurry into a mould to provide form to the composite structure.

Preferably, the method further includes the step of combining the processed glass with water to form the slurry.

Preferably, the step of separating the solid material from the slurry is performed by evaporating liquid from the slurry.

The bonding material may be a fire retardant bonding adhesive.

Preferably, the composite structure is in the form of a construction board.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention is described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of portions of construction board material formed from waste particulate glass in accordance with an example of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Fragments of a composite structure including waste particulate glass are shown in Figure 1, and are generally designated by reference numeral 10. The fragments 10 depicted are of a composite structure in the form of a construction board 12 similar to the kind known as a "gypsum board" and, accordingly, are generally flat.

The fragments 10 are shown to illustrate the concept of construction board material formed from waste glass. It will be appreciated that, in practice, an actual construction board product formed of waste glass in accordance with an example of the present invention will be formed with dimensions similar to those in which gypsum boards are available so as to provide an alternative to typical gypsum-based plasterboard products.

The applicant has identified that waste glass may be utilised to form a composite structure and, in particular, a construction board 12. The fragments 10 of construction board 12 shown in Figure 1 were produced by the applicant as a preliminary trial of the invention.

The construction board 12 was produced by processing the waste glass by crushing, grinding and/or powdering the glass to improve its ability to be formed into a homogeneous composite material. The processed glass was then mixed with water — the water may be hot or cold — and with a fire retardant bonding adhesive to form a slurry.

Once the slurry was complete, the mixture was placed into a mould to give form to the

construction board produced. The mixture was then left to cure in the mould so as to separate the solid material from the slurry in order to form the construction board. Curing may be done naturally (eg. by natural evaporation) or by artificial heating.

Sheets of paper may then be applied to either side of the construction board 12, in a similar manner to the use of paper sheets on existing gypsum board products.

The composite structure has been described above by way of examples only, and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. It will be appreciated that the construction board is merely an example of a composite structure in accordance with the present invention, and in other examples the composite structure may take other forms such as, for example, bricks, tiles and the like.

In another alternative example, the composite structure may be formed from crushed, ground and/or powdered glass which is not waste glass, ie. the glass may be produced from raw materials (as opposed to being recycled glass) and the formation of the composite structure may be the first use of the glass.

The composite structure of the present invention is foreseen as being advantageous as it enables use of fragments of waste particulate glass which are unable to be used in existing glass recycling processes. More particularly, the applicant has identified that large amounts of previously unusable waste particulate glass accumulate at glass recycling plants, as pieces of glass too small for categorisation and sorting are unable to be used in existing recycling processes. The applicant has identified a use for the waste glass in which it is converted into a valuable product, and which may prevent the waste glass from being disposed of as land-fill.

The composite structure of the present invention is also foreseen as being advantageous, as the glass material provides the composite structure with desirable properties such as being fire retardant, and as having good sound/heat insulation.

Throughout this specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated step or integer or group of steps or integers but not the exclusion of any other step or integer or group of steps or integers.