From the labs . Decorative glass from hazardous waste

Nuclear waste (spent fuel) is disposed of by vitrifying into glass slabs, which are buried deep underground for decades. Why not use the technique to neutralise non-nuclear hazardous wastes? The Central Glass and Ceramics Research Institute (CGCRI), Kolkata, has done just that. It has incorporated arsenic-contaminated sludge from water filtration, e-waste glass and tannery solid waste (TSW) into decorative glass in different colours. For example, TSW gives green glass, and arsenic sludge gives brown glass, which when used in window pane can cut electricity use, says CGCRI. In another study, 90 per cent of e-waste glass was reused as culet or raw material in glass making.