JP7803076B2 - How recycled glass is manufactured - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for producing recycled glass.

As described in Patent Document 1, for example, there is a known method of recycling glass fibers that were not used in products due to factors such as the cutting of the glass fibers as glass raw material. Recycling glass fibers in this way can contribute to achieving the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).

Here, for example, after forming multiple glass filaments using a bushing, the glass fibers discharged in the process of bundling the multiple glass filaments to obtain a glass strand may have organic matter contained in the bundling agent attached to them. When recycling glass fibers with such organic matter attached, there is a risk that carbides formed from the organic matter in the glass melting furnace will become foreign matter in the molten glass. For this reason, when recycling glass fibers with organic matter attached, it is preferable to reduce the amount of organic matter attached.

JP 2014-047101 A

There is still room for improvement in terms of easily obtaining recycled glass with reduced amounts of organic matter attached from the above-mentioned glass fibers.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing glass for recycling, which can easily produce glass for recycling with a reduced amount of organic matter attached thereto.

A method for manufacturing recycled glass that solves the above problem is a method for manufacturing recycled glass from glass fibers to which organic matter has adhered, and includes a cleaning process in which the glass fibers are washed with a liquid. According to this method, by using a liquid in the cleaning process, organic matter adhering to the glass fibers can be easily washed away.

In the above-mentioned method for producing recycled glass, the glass fibers may be brought into contact with the liquid during the cleaning process while being transported on a conveyor. This method allows the cleaning process to be carried out continuously.

In the above-mentioned method for producing recycled glass, the conveyor may include an upstream conveyor and a downstream conveyor that transports the glass fibers that have fallen from the downstream end of the upstream conveyor. According to this method, the glass fibers that have fallen from the downstream end of the upstream conveyor collide with the downstream conveyor. By colliding the glass fibers with the downstream conveyor in this manner, the glass fibers can be beaten and washed.

In the above-mentioned method for producing recycled glass, the conveyor may have circulation holes that allow the liquid that has come into contact with the glass fibers to flow below the conveyor. This method prevents liquid contaminated by washing the glass fibers from accumulating on the conveyor, allowing less contaminated liquid to come into efficient contact with the glass fibers.

In the above-mentioned method for producing recycled glass, the glass fibers in the cleaning step include at least one of glass filaments and glass strands, and are transported from a glass fiber manufacturing device, which is equipped with an applicator that applies a sizing agent containing the organic matter to multiple glass filaments, and the cleaning step may involve cleaning the glass fibers while they are wet with the sizing agent. According to this method, the organic matter adhering to the glass fibers can be brought into contact with the liquid in the cleaning step before it completely hardens, making it easy to wash away the organic matter.

In the above-described method for producing recycled glass, the glass fiber production apparatus includes a winding device that winds up the glass strand formed by bundling the multiple glass filaments. The production method may further include a determination step of determining whether or not the glass fiber has broken based on an image of the glass fiber of at least one of the glass filaments and the glass strand, and a retraction step of retracting the winding device from its position for winding the glass strand if a break in the glass fiber is determined to have occurred in the determination step. This method, for example, allows glass fiber that will not be used for production to be easily transported to the cleaning process while avoiding the winding device. It also makes it easy to prevent broken glass fibers from being mixed into the glass strand that has already been wound on the winding device.

The above-mentioned method for producing recycled glass may further include a heating step in which the glass fibers after being washed in the washing step are heat-treated. This method makes it possible to quickly remove liquid adhering to the glass fibers. This improves the handleability of the glass fibers. For example, the glass fibers can be crushed or easily mixed with other powdered glass raw materials.

The above-mentioned method for producing recycled glass may further include a crushing step in which the glass fibers are crushed after being washed in the washing step. This method makes it possible to obtain recycled glass that can be easily mixed with glass raw materials.

The present invention makes it easy to obtain glass for recycling with reduced amounts of organic matter attached.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a part of a manufacturing apparatus for recycled glass in an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a part of a manufacturing apparatus for recycled glass. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a cleaning section of a recycling glass manufacturing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the glass fiber manufacturing apparatus. FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for producing glass for recycling. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating the control of the glass fiber manufacturing apparatus. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a part of a modified example of a manufacturing apparatus for recycled glass.

Embodiments of a method for manufacturing recycled glass will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that for the sake of convenience, some components may be exaggerated or simplified in the drawings. Furthermore, the dimensional proportions of each part may differ from the actual proportions. First, a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing recycled glass will be described.

<Outline of the recycling glass manufacturing equipment>
1 and 2, the recycling glass manufacturing apparatus 11 is an apparatus for manufacturing recycling glass GR from glass fibers G1 to which organic matter has been attached. The recycling glass manufacturing apparatus 11 includes a cleaning section 12 for cleaning the glass fibers G1 using a liquid L1, a heating section 13 for heat-treating the glass fibers G2, and a crushing section 14 for crushing the glass fibers G3.

As shown in FIG. 1, the recycled glass manufacturing apparatus 11 includes a first conveying device 16 disposed below the glass fiber manufacturing apparatus 15. The first conveying device 16 conveys glass fiber G1 into the cleaning section 12 of the recycled glass manufacturing apparatus 11. The first conveying device 16 can be configured, for example, by a conveyor such as a belt conveyor.

The glass fiber manufacturing device 15 includes a bushing 17 that forms multiple glass filaments GF, and an applicator 18 that applies an organic-containing sizing agent to the multiple glass filaments GF. The glass fiber manufacturing device 15 also includes a gathering shoe 19 that obtains a glass strand GS by bundling the multiple glass filaments GF, and a winding device 20 that winds up the glass strand GS.

The bushing 17 of the glass fiber manufacturing apparatus 15 has multiple nozzles N through which molten glass MG flows. Glass filaments GF can be formed using each nozzle N of the bushing 17. The number of nozzle holes in the bushing 17 is preferably in the range of 100 to 10,000. The shape of the nozzle hole in each nozzle N of the bushing 17 can be, for example, a circle or a flat shape having a major axis and a minor axis.

Examples of the glass for the molten glass MG include E-glass (glass with an alkali content of 2% or less), D-glass (low dielectric constant glass), AR-glass (alkali-resistant glass), C-glass (acid-resistant glass), M-glass (high elastic modulus glass), S-glass (high strength, high elastic modulus glass), T-glass (high strength, high elastic modulus glass), H-glass (high dielectric constant glass), and NE-glass (low dielectric constant glass). The density of the glass is, for example, 2.0 to 3.0 g/ ^cm3 .

The sizing agent contains, for example, a resin. Examples of resins include polyester, vinyl acetate resin, urethane resin, epoxy resin, and acrylic resin. The sizing agent may contain one type of resin or a combination of two or more types. The resin is blended into the sizing agent, for example, as an aqueous resin emulsion.

The sizing agent preferably contains a silane coupling agent. Examples of silane coupling agents include aminosilane, epoxysilane, vinylsilane, acrylicsilane, chlorosilane, mercaptosilane, and ureidosilane.

The sizing agent may contain lubricants, antistatic agents, etc., as needed. Examples of lubricants include fatty acid amides and quaternary ammonium salts. Examples of antistatic agents include polyether compounds, sulfonic acid compounds, betaine compounds, and conductive polymers.

The glass fiber manufacturing apparatus 15 includes an imaging device 21 and a control unit 22. The imaging device 21 of the glass fiber manufacturing apparatus 15 captures an image of the glass filament GF formed using the bushing 17. The imaging device 21 can be, for example, a camera equipped with an imaging element such as a CCD or CMOS.

The control unit 22 includes an image processing unit 22a, an information storage unit 22b, and a judgment unit 22c. The image processing unit 22a can perform image processing such as binarization and brightness correction on the image of the glass filament GF captured by the imaging device 21 as needed. The information storage unit 22b can pre-store images of the glass filament GF when it is normally formed without breakage, as well as threshold values such as brightness values. The judgment unit 22c judges whether the glass filament GF has broken based on the image of the glass filament GF. The judgment of whether the glass filament GF has broken can be made, for example, by comparing the brightness of the image of the glass filament GF with a brightness threshold based on a normal image pre-stored in the information storage unit 22b. The judgment unit 22c can also be configured to judge whether the glass filament GF has broken using a learning model constructed through deep learning. The learning model can be, for example, an artificial intelligence (AI) model such as a neural network model.

The control unit 22 can be configured by a processor, memory, software, an image display device, and the like, all of which are not shown.
As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the glass fiber manufacturing apparatus 15 is equipped with a position changing device 23 that changes the positions of the applicator 18, gathering shoe 19, and winding device 20 based on the judgment result of the judgment unit 22c. In Figure 4, the applicator 18, gathering shoe 19, and winding device 20 in their use positions are shown by two-dot chain lines, and the applicator 18, gathering shoe 19, and winding device 20 in their retracted positions are shown by solid lines. The position changing device 23 retracts the applicator 18 from its use position where it applies a sizing agent to the glass filaments GF. The position changing device 23 also retracts the gathering shoe 19 from its use position where it focuses the glass filaments GF. The position changing device 23 also retracts the winding device 20 from its use position where it winds the glass strand GS. The position changing device 23 can be configured with a drive unit such as a motor and a power transmission mechanism that transmits power from the drive unit.

<Cleaning section>
1 and 3, the cleaning section 12 of the recycling glass manufacturing apparatus 11 includes an injection device 24 that injects liquid L1 and a second conveying device 25 that conveys glass fibers G1. The injection device 24 includes a plurality of injection nozzles 24a and a supply pipe 24b that supplies liquid L1 to the plurality of injection nozzles 24a. The injection nozzles 24a of the injection device 24 may be, for example, a one-fluid spray nozzle that injects only liquid L1, or a two-fluid spray nozzle that injects liquid L1 and a gas.

As shown in FIG. 3, the spraying device 24 includes a recovery section 24c that recovers the liquid L1 sprayed onto the glass fiber G1, and a liquid delivery section 24d that delivers the recovered liquid L2 to the supply pipe 24b.
1 and 3, the second conveying device 25 includes a conveyor C that conveys the glass fibers G1 along the conveying direction D. The conveyor C of the second conveying device 25 is disposed below the injection nozzle 24a of the injection device 24. As the conveyor C of the second conveying device 25, for example, a belt conveyor can be used.

As shown in FIG. 3, the conveyor C has flow holes Ch that allow the liquid L1 that has come into contact with the glass fibers G1 to flow downward along the conveyor C. The conveyor C of the second conveying device 25 includes an upstream conveyor C1 and a downstream conveyor C2 that transports the glass fibers G1 that have fallen from the downstream end of the upstream conveyor C1. The downstream portion of the upstream conveyor C1 is inclined so as to transport the glass fibers G1 upward. The upstream portion of the downstream conveyor C2 is located below the downstream portion of the upstream conveyor C1. The glass fibers G1 that have fallen from the downstream end of the upstream conveyor C1 fall into the upstream portion of the downstream conveyor C2.

The upstream conveyor C1 may also transport the glass fibers G1 horizontally or downward. Even in this case, the glass fibers G1 can be dropped onto the upstream portion of the downstream conveyor C2 by positioning the upstream portion of the downstream conveyor C2 below the downstream end of the upstream conveyor C1.

The recovery unit 24c is located below the conveyor C. The recovery unit 24c is provided to recover and reuse the liquid L1 used to wash the glass fibers G1. The liquid delivery unit 24d includes a container for storing the recovery liquid L2 recovered by the recovery unit 24c, a pump for delivering the recovery liquid L2, and the like. The recovery unit 24c may also include a filtration device for filtering the recovery liquid L2.

<Heating part>
As shown in Fig. 2, the heating section 13 of the recycling glass manufacturing apparatus 11 includes a heating device 26 and a third conveying device 27. The heating device 26 is disposed downstream of the cleaning section 12 and heats the glass fibers G2 after being cleaned in the cleaning section 12. Examples of the heating device 26 include an electric heater and a gas burner. The third conveying device 27 is disposed below the heating device 26. The third conveying device 27 is disposed downstream of the second conveying device 25 of the cleaning section 12 and conveys the glass fibers G2 after being cleaned in the cleaning section 12. The third conveying device 27 can be configured, for example, by a belt conveyor or the like.

<Crushing section>
The crushing section 14 of the recycling glass manufacturing apparatus 11 is equipped with a crushing device 28. The crushing device 28 is disposed downstream of the third conveying device 27 of the heating section 13, and crushes the glass fibers G3 after being heat-treated in the heating section 13. By crushing the glass fibers G3 in the crushing section 14, recycling glass GR is obtained.

The crushing device 28 may be, for example, a dry crushing device such as a cutter roll or a jet mill. The crushing device 28 of the crushing section 14 may consist of one type of crushing device, or two or more different types of crushing devices.

<Method of manufacturing recycled glass>
Next, a method for producing the recycled glass GR will be described together with its main functions.
As shown in FIG. 5, the method for producing recycled glass GR includes a cleaning step S1, a heating step S2, and a crushing step S3.

<Cleaning step S1>
In the cleaning process of step S1, the glass fibers G1 are cleaned using the liquid L1. By using the liquid L1 in the cleaning process of step S1 in this manner, organic substances adhering to the glass fibers G1 can be easily washed away.

The glass fibers G1 used in the cleaning process of step S1 include at least one of glass filaments GF and glass strands GS. The glass fibers G1 used in the cleaning process of step S1 are transported from the glass fiber manufacturing apparatus 15. The glass fibers G1 transported from the glass fiber manufacturing apparatus 15 to the cleaning process of step S1 are wet with a sizing agent. In this case, in the cleaning process of step S1, the organic matter adhering to the glass fibers G1 can be brought into contact with the liquid L1 before it completely hardens, allowing the organic matter to be easily washed away.

In the cleaning process of step S1 of this embodiment, the glass fibers G1 are brought into contact with the liquid L1 while being transported by the conveyor C. This allows the cleaning process of step S1 to be carried out continuously. The conveyor C includes an upstream conveyor C1 and a downstream conveyor C2 that transports the glass fibers G1 that have fallen from the downstream end of the upstream conveyor C1. In this case, the glass fibers G1 that have fallen from the downstream end of the upstream conveyor C1 collide with the downstream conveyor C2. By causing the glass fibers G1 to collide with the downstream conveyor C2 in this way, the glass fibers G1 can be beaten and washed.

In this embodiment, the liquid L1 used in the cleaning process of step S1 is recovered by the recovery unit 24c. The recovered liquid L2 recovered by the recovery unit 24c can be reused as the liquid L1 used in the cleaning process of step S1. In the recovery unit 24c, part or all of the recovered liquid L2 may be periodically replaced with unused liquid, or part of the recovered liquid L2 may be continuously replaced with unused liquid. The type of liquid L1 may be selected taking into consideration its compatibility with organic matter. Examples of liquid L1 include water, alcohol, and a mixture of water and alcohol.

<Heating step S2>
In the heating step of step S2, the glass fibers G1 after being washed in the washing step of step S1 are heat-treated. This makes it possible to quickly remove the liquid L1 adhering to the glass fibers G1. The heating temperature in the heating step of step S2 is preferably equal to or higher than the boiling point of the liquid L1. In the heating step of step S2, the glass fibers G1 may be heated to a temperature at which organic matter remaining on the glass fibers G1 decomposes.

<Pulverization step S3>
In the crushing step of step S3, the glass fibers G3 that have been heat-treated in the heating step of step S2 are crushed. In the crushing step of step S3 of this embodiment, the glass fibers G3 are dry-crushed to obtain the glass GR for recycling.

<Control of glass fiber manufacturing equipment>
6, in the method for producing recycled glass GR of this embodiment, a glass fiber production device 15 is controlled. The control method for the glass fiber production device 15 includes an image acquisition step of step S11, a determination step of step S12, and a retraction step of step S13.

In the image acquisition process of step S11, an image of the glass filament GF formed using the bushing 17 of the glass fiber manufacturing device 15 is acquired using the imaging device 21. The image acquired in the image acquisition process of step S11 is processed by the image processing unit 22a.

In the determination process of step S12, the presence or absence of a break in the glass filament GF is determined based on the image acquired in the image acquisition process of step S11. If it is determined in the determination process of step S12 that a break in the glass fiber has occurred (step S12: YES), the process proceeds to the evacuation process of step S13. If it is not determined in the determination process of step S12 that a break in the glass fiber has occurred (step S12: NO), the image acquisition process of step S11 is repeated.

The image acquisition process of step S11 and the judgment process of step S12 described above are performed on the glass filament GF, but they may also be performed on the glass strand GS. Furthermore, the image acquisition process of step S11 and the judgment process of step S12 may also be performed on both the glass filament GF and the glass strand GS. That is, in the judgment process of step S12, the presence or absence of glass fiber breakage may be determined based on an image of the glass fiber of at least one of the glass filament GF and the glass strand GS.

As shown in Figure 4, in the evacuation process of step S13, the applicator 18, gathering shoe 19, and winding device 20 are retracted from the use position indicated by the two-dot chain line to the retracted position indicated by the solid line. This method, for example, allows glass fibers G1 that will not be used in products to be easily transported to the cleaning process while avoiding the applicator 18, gathering shoe 19, and winding device 20. It also makes it easy to prevent broken glass fibers G1 from being mixed into the glass strand GS that has already been wound by the winding device 20.

Glass strand GS can be used, for example, as chopped strands cut to a predetermined length. Glass strand GS can also be used as milled fiber, roving, yarn, mat, cloth, tape, or braided fabric. Applications for glass strand GS include, for example, vehicle applications, electronic materials applications, building materials applications, civil engineering applications, aircraft-related applications, shipbuilding applications, logistics applications, industrial machinery applications, and everyday items.

<Action and effect>
Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.
(1) A method for producing recycled glass GR includes producing recycled glass GR from glass fibers G1 having organic matter attached thereto. The method for producing recycled glass GR includes a cleaning step (step S1) of cleaning the glass fibers G1 with a liquid L1.

According to this method, by using liquid L1 in the cleaning process of step S1, organic matter adhering to the glass fiber G1 can be easily washed away. Therefore, it is easy to obtain glass GR for recycling with a reduced amount of organic matter adhering.

(2) In the cleaning process of step S1, the glass fiber G1 is brought into contact with the liquid L1 while being transported by the conveyor C. In this case, the cleaning process of step S1 can be carried out continuously. Therefore, the glass GR for recycling can be obtained more efficiently.

(3) In the cleaning process of step S1, the conveyor C includes an upstream conveyor C1 and a downstream conveyor C2 that transports the glass fibers G1 that have fallen from the downstream end of the upstream conveyor C1. In this case, the glass fibers G1 that have fallen from the downstream end of the upstream conveyor C1 collide with the downstream conveyor C2. By colliding the glass fibers G1 with the downstream conveyor C2 in this way, the glass fibers G1 can be beaten and washed. This allows organic matter adhering to the glass fibers G1 to be washed away more efficiently. Therefore, the glass GR for recycling can be obtained more efficiently. Furthermore, because the cleaning power of the glass fibers G1 can be increased, the cleanliness of the glass GR for recycling can also be easily improved.

(4) In the cleaning process of step S1, the conveyor C has a flow hole Ch that allows the liquid L1 that has come into contact with the glass fibers G1 to flow downward on the conveyor C. In this case, it is possible to prevent the liquid L1 that has become contaminated by cleaning the glass fibers G1 from accumulating on the conveyor C, allowing the less contaminated liquid L1 to efficiently come into contact with the glass fibers G1. This allows organic matter adhering to the glass fibers G1 to be washed away more efficiently. Therefore, glass GR for recycling can be obtained more efficiently.

(5) The glass fibers G1 used in the cleaning process of step S1 include at least one of glass filaments GF and glass strands GS, and are transported from a glass fiber manufacturing apparatus 15. The glass fiber manufacturing apparatus 15 is equipped with an applicator 18 that applies a sizing agent containing organic matter to multiple glass filaments GF. In the cleaning process of step S1, the glass fibers G1 are washed while wet with the sizing agent. In this case, in the cleaning process of step S1, the organic matter adhering to the glass fibers G1 can be brought into contact with the liquid L1 before it completely hardens, making it easy to wash away the organic matter. This makes it easy to increase the cleanliness of the glass GR for recycling.

(6) The manufacturing method for recycled glass GR includes a determination step in step S12 and a retraction step in step S13. In the determination step in step S12, the presence or absence of glass fiber breakage is determined based on an image of the glass fiber of at least one of the glass filaments GF and the glass strand GS. In the retraction step in step S13, if it is determined in the determination step in step S12 that a glass fiber breakage has occurred, the winding device 20 is retracted from the use position for winding the glass strand GS.

In this case, for example, glass fibers G1 that will not be used in products can be easily transported to the cleaning process in step S1, avoiding the winding device 20. It is also possible to easily prevent broken glass fibers G1 from being mixed into the glass strand GS that has already been wound by the winding device 20.

In this embodiment, during the retraction process of step S13, the applicator 18 and gathering shoe 19 are also retracted in the same manner as the winding device 20. In this case, for example, glass fibers G1 that will not be turned into products can be more easily transported to the cleaning process of step S1.

(7) The method for producing recycled glass GR further includes a heating step (step S2) in which the glass fibers G2 after being washed in the washing step of step S1 are heat-treated. In this case, it is possible to quickly remove the liquid L1 adhering to the glass fibers G2. This improves the handleability of the glass fibers. For example, the glass fibers can be crushed or easily mixed with other powdered glass raw materials.

(8) The method for producing recycled glass GR further includes a crushing step (step S3) in which the glass fibers G3 obtained by the heat treatment in the heating step of step S2 are crushed. In this case, recycled glass GR that can be easily mixed with glass raw materials can be obtained.

<Example of change>
The above embodiment can be modified as follows: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

- The glass fibers G1 to be washed in the washing process of step S1 are transported from the glass fiber manufacturing apparatus 15, but this may be changed so that the glass fibers G1 that are not to be commercialized are temporarily stored in a container and transported from that container. In other words, the first conveying device 16 of the recycled glass manufacturing apparatus 11 is located below the glass fiber manufacturing apparatus 15, but it may also be located, for example, below the container that stores the glass fibers G1.

In the recycling glass manufacturing apparatus 11, the flow holes Ch of the conveyor C of the second transport device 25 may be omitted.
In the recycling glass manufacturing apparatus 11, the number of conveyors C of the second conveying device 25 may be two or three or more. When the number of conveyors C of the second conveying device 25 is three or more, the glass fibers G1 can be dropped from at least the downstream end of the first conveyor and the downstream end of the second conveyor, thereby making it possible to perform beating and washing multiple times.

In the recycling glass manufacturing apparatus 11, the number of conveyors C of the second transport device 25 may be one.
When cleaning the glass fibers G1 while transporting them on the conveyor C, as in the cleaning step of step S1 described above, the method is not limited to spraying the liquid L1 onto the glass fibers G1. For example, the cleaning step of step S1 may be performed by sandwiching and transporting the glass fibers G1 between mesh conveyors arranged above and below, and immersing the glass fibers G1 in the liquid L1 while being transported.

- The cleaning process of step S1 can also be performed without transporting the glass fibers G1 on a conveyor C. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the cleaning process of step S1 can be performed using an agitator 29. The agitator 29 includes, for example, a container 30, an agitator 31, and a liquid supply unit 32. The agitator 31 is, for example, a propeller-type agitator, and promotes cleaning of the glass fibers G1 by agitating the mixture GL in the container 30. The liquid supply unit 32 supplies liquid L1 into the container 30. The container 30 of the agitator 29 has a discharge unit 30a that discharges the mixture GL of liquid L1 and glass fibers G1 or the liquid L1.

In the cleaning process of step S1, the mixture GL in the container 30 may be agitated by shaking the container 30. Note that the cleaning process of step S1 may also be performed by immersing the glass fibers G1 in the liquid L1 without agitating the mixture GL in the container 30. Furthermore, in the cleaning process of step S1, the glass fibers G1 may be cleaned by, for example, applying ultrasonic waves to the mixture GL.

- Two or more types of liquid L1 may be used in the cleaning section 12 of the recycled glass manufacturing apparatus 11. For example, different types of liquid L1 may be sprayed on the upstream and downstream sides of the second conveying device 25.

- The temperature of the liquid L1 used in the cleaning section 12 of the recycled glass manufacturing apparatus 11 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the spraying device 24 may be configured so that the temperature of the liquid L1 sprayed downstream of the second conveying device 25 can be set higher than the temperature of the liquid L1 sprayed upstream of the second conveying device 25.

In the method for producing recycled glass GR, the crushing step of step S3 may be omitted.
In the method for producing recycled glass GR, the heating step in step S2 may be omitted. For example, in the method for producing recycled glass GR, the glass fibers G2 after being washed in the washing step in step S1 may be naturally dried. Furthermore, if the heating step in step S2 is omitted, the glass fibers G2 to which the washing liquid has adhered may be pulverized in a wet pulverizing device in the pulverizing step in step S3.

- In the manufacturing method for recycled glass GR, the determination process of step S12 and the evacuation process of step S13 can be omitted, and the glass fiber G1 can be transported from the glass fiber manufacturing device 15 to the cleaning section 12 using, for example, a jig or the like.

In the retracting step of step S13, at least one of the applicator 18, the gathering shoe 19, and the winding device 20 may be retracted.
In the recycling glass manufacturing apparatus 11, the recovery unit 24c and the liquid delivery unit 24d of the spraying device 24 may be omitted. That is, the supply pipe 24b of the spraying device 24 may be modified to supply unused liquid L1.

- In the manufacturing method of recycled glass GR, the glass fibers G1 washed in the washing process of step S1 are not limited to glass fibers having organic matter contained in the sizing agent attached thereto, but may also be glass fibers having organic matter attached thereto that originates from sources other than the sizing agent.

11...Recycled glass manufacturing apparatus 15...Glass fiber manufacturing apparatus 18...Applicator 20...Winding device C...Conveyor C1...Upstream conveyor C2...Downstream conveyor Ch...Flow hole G1, G2, G3...Glass fiber GR...Recycled glass GF...Glass filament GS...Glass strand L1...Liquid

Claims (6)

A method for producing recycled glass from glass fibers having organic matter attached thereto, comprising:
a cleaning step of cleaning the glass fibers with a liquid ;
The glass fibers in the cleaning step include at least one of glass filaments and glass strands, and are transported from a glass fiber manufacturing device;
the glass fiber manufacturing apparatus includes an applicator that applies the sizing agent containing the organic substance to a plurality of glass filaments;
In the washing step, the glass fibers wet with the sizing agent are washed by contacting them with the liquid while being conveyed by a conveyor . 2. The method for producing recycled glass according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyor comprises an upstream conveyor and a downstream conveyor that transports the glass fibers that have dropped from a downstream end of the upstream conveyor. 3. The method for producing glass for recycling according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyor has a circulation hole for circulating the liquid that has come into contact with the glass fibers below the conveyor. the glass fiber manufacturing apparatus includes a winding device that winds up a glass strand formed by bundling the plurality of glass filaments;
The manufacturing method includes a determination step of determining whether or not the glass fiber is broken based on an image of at least one of the glass filaments and the glass strands;
4. The method for producing recycled glass according to claim 1 , further comprising: a retraction step of retracting the winding device from a use position for winding the glass strand when it is determined in the determination step that breakage has occurred in the glass fiber. The method for producing glass for recycling according to claim 1 , further comprising a heating step of heat-treating the glass fibers after being washed in the washing step. The method for producing glass for recycling according to claim 1 , further comprising a crushing step of crushing the glass fibers after being washed in the washing step.