Enhance the value of used glass bottles from microwave

Abstract

This article presents how to increase the value of common glass scrap by using microwave glass melting processes to create synthetic gemstones for the jewelry industry. Initially, the glass samples were divided into colored glass and clear glass in the following percentage by weight after being reduced in size by crushing it until it was small then weighed by Microbalance: (100-x) colored glass: (x) clear glass, where x = 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 wt%. Following the acquisition of the required quantity in the estimated ratio, it was put in a crucible, microwaved for 40 minutes at 1,000 W, annealed for 3 h at 500 °C, and then cooled to an ambient temperature. To determine the physical characteristics using a density meter, the samples were cut and polished to a size of 10 x 15 x 5 mm. The UV-VIS-NIR Spectrophotometer was used to determine the optical characteristics.