A new cellular glass gravel production line was built in Eddystone PA, USA by SGGC, Germany for the company Aeroaggregates. A second line will be built in the near future. They use SiC as foaming agent, which means they are using the dry process.

I found some remarkable facts on their website.

Glass is a fully recyclable material that can be recovered in a closed loop over and over again. This is particularly true for glass bottles which, on average, have a recycling rate of only 34% in the United States in 2013 (according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency).  Today, there is a limited number of glass processors to accommodate the entire glass stream that is generated in the United States.

AeroAggregates LLC is the first vertically-integrated, U.S.-based company to produce lightweight aggregates from 100% recycled glass. Our manufacturing capabilities include the ability to make several types of foamed glass including both open and closed cell aggregates.

The founders of AeroAggregates realized the need for a sustainable solution for lightweight construction materials due to increased design or constructability requirements. Today’s civil engineering challenges include construction on soft soils, lateral load reduction behind retaining walls and structures, insulating subgrade and backfill, and the protection of underground utilities. AeroAggregates provides an answer to most of these challenges by supplying a lightweight material with a high friction angle that is also insulating, free-draining, non-absorbent, rot-, acid-, and chemical-resistant, noncombustible, and a beneficial reuse for glass containers.

It is clear that the founders are aware about the opportunity to recycle and also understand that foamed glass is much more than thermal insulation. They also consider open cells besides closed ones. I wonder when they start to produce boards.