Abstract: A process and a plant produce hollow microspheres made of glass. According to the process an aqueous suspension is prepared from starting materials containing glass powder and water glass, feedstock particles having a diameter between 5 ?m and 300 ?m, in particular between 5 ?m and 100 ?m, being produced from the suspension. The feedstock particles are mixed with a pulverulent release agent made of aluminum hydroxide in an intensive mixer. The mixture of feedstock particles and release agent is subsequently introduced into a firing chamber of a furnace. The feedstock particles expand in the firing chamber, at a firing temperature which exceeds the softening temperature of the glass powder, to form the hollow microspheres.

Abstract: A method for producing hollow glass microspheres includes preparing an aqueous suspension of starting materials including finely ground glass and waterglass. Combustible particles are produced from the suspension and are mixed with an AlO(OH)-containing pulverulent release agent. The mixture of combustible particles and release agent is introduced into a combustion chamber of a furnace where it is expanded at a combustion temperature which exceeds the softening temperature of the finely ground glass, to form the hollow microspheres. Hollow glass microspheres produced according to the method are also provided.

Abstract: In a method for producing an expanded-glass granular material, starting materials containing glass powder, water glass, at least one blowing agent, and metakaolin, are mixed in order to form a homogeneous slurry. The slurry is granulated to form raw granular-material particles, which are foamed at a baking temperature between 780° C. and 950° C. in order to form expanded-glass granular-material particles. The expanded-glass granular material has a long-term water absorption of less than 25 volume percent when the expanded-glass granular material is exposed to water for a time period of 21 days.

Abstract: A process and an associated facility for treating ammonium-containing wastewater are specified. Ammonium present in the wastewater is first oxidized to nitrite by use of aerobically oxidizing bacteria in an activation unit. Then ammonium and nitrite are reduced to elemental nitrogen anaerobically by use of ANAMMOX bacteria. Excess sludge arising in this operation is removed from the activation unit. ANAMMOX bacteria removed with the excess sludge are separated and returned to the activation unit. To facilitate the returning of the ANAMMOX bacteria, magnetic or magnetizable expanded glass particles are added, as colonization bodies for the ANAMMOX bacteria, to the wastewater in the activation unit. Expanded glass particles removed from the activation unit with the excess sludge are separated from the excess sludge magnetically and returned to the activation unit.

Abstract: Hollow microbeads of glass are produced during a number of operating phases in which an upwardly directed hot gas flow is produced in a firing chamber by firing a vertical furnace. The firing chamber is continuously charged with microparticles of a starting glass material and the microparticles are expanded in the hot gas flow into the hollow microbeads. Expanded hollow microbeads are discharged out of the firing chamber with the gas flow through a gas outlet at the upper end of the vertical furnace. Between successive operating phases there is respectively provided a charging break, during which the charging of the firing chamber with the microparticles is suspended. In these charging breaks, the microparticles remaining in the firing chamber are respectively removed from the firing chamber.

Abstract: An open-pore formed body based on inorganic, partially open-pore light granulates is based on at least one material from the group of alkali silicates, alkali-alkali earth silicates, aluminosilicates, borosilicates, and variants in the three material system CaO—SiO2—Al2O3 in combination with additional metal oxides such as TiO2 FeO3 Mn2O3. It has a bulk density of 0.10 to 0.60 kg/dm3 measured according to DIN EN 1097-3, wherein the light granulate is provided with a hydrophobised surface and is bound with an organic binding agent to form the formed body.

Abstract: A process for preparing foamed glass granulate comprises the following steps: provision of an aqueous glass binder slurry containing water at room temperature, a foaming agent and a glass binder in a preparation tank, addition of glass powder, preferably old glass powder, to the glass binder slurry to form a moist stirrable glass preparation, homogenisation of the glass preparation thus formed, transfer of the glass preparation into a stirring tank, stirring of the glass preparation for a stirring period of between 2 and 6 hours to fuse the glass components at least in part, addition of further glass powder to the glass preparation in a granulation mixer to form granulate green bodies, drying of the granulate green bodies and foaming of the granulate green bodies into foamed glass granulate particles.

Abstract: A method for the production of metakaolin particles includes following method steps: preparing a lightweight expandable aggregate material in granulate form adding kaolin particles to the lightweight aggregate as a separating agent; feeding the separating agent-granulate mixture through a kiln; exposing the separating agent-granulate mixture to thermal energy, in order to expand the lightweight aggregate material, with simultaneous calcination of the kaolin particles into metakaolin particles; and separating the metakaolin particles from the lightweight aggregate granulate.

Abstract: Foam glass pellets are manufactured by producing a raw preparation from the components of water, pre-milled or pre-crushed glass, waterglass and expanding agent; wet milling the raw preparation into slurry for several hours; pelletizing the slurry into green pellets; and foaming the green pellets into foam glass pellets.

Abstract: A process for the production of a shaped article from a lightweight-aggregate granulate and an inorganic binder has the following process steps: provision of a viscous binder that has been prepared on the basis of diatomite and caustic soda or caustic potash solution, mixing of the binder with lightweight-aggregate granulate, shaping of the lightweight-aggregate granulate binder mixture, and thermal exposure of the lightweight-aggregate granulate binder mixture under foaming and bonding of the lightweight-aggregate granulate particles in a foamed binder matrix to create the shaped article.

Abstract: A process for the production of a shaped article from a lightweight-aggregate granulate and an inorganic binder has the following process steps: