Effect of rice husk ash addition on the physical properties of soda-lime-silica glass for building glass and window panel

Demand for eco-friendly materials are increasing each year due to their excellent properties, which has proved to contribute in developing sustainable environment. One of the promising raw materials in producing glass is rice husk, a waste product from paddy harvesting, which contains about 90% of silica. Rice husks are usually burnt in an open area and contributed to serious air pollution problems. In this research, Soda-Lime-Silica Rice Husk Ash (SLRHA) glass which is a new combination of soda lime silicate (SLS) glass and rice husk ash (RHA) was developed for building glass and window application. The physical properties of the developed SLS-RHA glass system is presented in this paper. Based on the ultrasonic velocities test, sample with 5% of RHA was found to possess high and medium elastic properties including easy to bend rather than elongate, less stiff, tough at a certain direction and has low rigidity. Sample with 0% and 10% of RHA showed medium and poor elastic properties, respectively. High hardness value of the RHA glass was achieved using combinations of 60 to 120 Rockwell hardness test scale with up to 2% RHA. By considering the results from both tests, sample with 0% to 5% of RHA was considered to be the optimum formulation in the production of building glass and window panel.