A novel foam glass obtained from solid waste: A sustainable strategy for application in the degradation of an environmental pollutant

Foams glass were obtained from solid waste of flat glass and exhausted alkaline batteries. The physical, chemical, crystalline and morphological properties of the samples were obtained using the Archimedes principle, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results revealed glass foams with apparent porosities in the range of 55–64% and apparent densities in the range of 0.40–0.79 g cm^?3. The manganese oxide and graphite contained within the cathode of alkaline batteries acted as both oxidizing agents and as foaming agents. The zinc contained in the anode acted as a pore stabilizing agent and the zinc oxide as a semiconductor material. The foam glass that was composed of flat glass with an anode of Zn and ZnO, and a cathode of Mn₂O₃ and Mn₃O₄ (named An8), showed the greatest potential for heterogeneous photocatalysis, with a maximum efficiency of 95.9% after 3 h of treatment of solution containing dye. These results suggest the feasibility of producing foam glass from waste, as well as its potential application in photocatalytic systems, such as in the low-cost treatment of water.