Research exercise: Closed Loop Container Glass Recycling in the State of Ohio

Authors

Presenter(s)

Jonathon P. Caito, David D. Carlos, Josh Obertino Norwood

Comments

This poster reflects research conducted as part of a course project designed to give students experience in the research process.

Files

Description

Glass recycling is one of the fastest growing recycled materials in the country; however, there is a lot that comes into play in order to determine the efficiency of glass recycling. The state of Ohio is in a unique situation due to the fact that it is in close proximity to a large amount of glass production facilities, both in state and nearby out of state. This allows glass recycling facilities to achieve a high rate of production, as well as keep a relatively high efficiency rate due to low transportation cost. That being said, there is still much that Ohio can improve upon in order to both increase its efficiency and become closer to having a "closed loop" on glass usage. Currently the glass received for recycling outweighs the current demand for glass in Ohio; due to quality issues and differences in product demands, a large portion of the the processed recycled glass is shipped out of state, while raw materials are shipped in to glass manufactures. While this is not the only thing responsible for a huge loss in efficiency, it is also responsible for the unnecessary environmental impact of the excessive use of raw materials. This research will examine possible solutions in order to increase the efficiency and quality of the glass recycling process. Such acts as separate glass curbside recycling and color separation have shown to hold a significant impact on the percentage of the glass material retained form the recycling process, as well as the overall quality.

Publication Date

4-9-2015

Project Designation

Course Project

Primary Advisor

Jun-Ki Choi

Primary Advisor's Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Keywords

Stander Symposium project

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Business | Education | Engineering | Life Sciences | Medicine and Health Sciences | Physical Sciences and Mathematics | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Recommended Citation

"Research exercise: Closed Loop Container Glass Recycling in the State of Ohio" (2015). Stander Symposium Projects. 599.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/599