Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods and materials for fabricating building materials and other components from coal. More specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to materials and other components, such as char clay plaster, char brick, and foam glass fabricated from coal, and to methods of forming such materials. In an embodiment is provided a building material fabrication method. The method includes mixing an organic solvent with coal, under solvent extraction conditions, to form a coal extraction residue, and heating the coal extraction residue under pyrolysis conditions to form a pyrolysis char, the pyrolysis conditions comprising a temperature greater than about 500? C. The method further includes mixing the pyrolysis char with water and with one or more of clay, cement, or sand to create a mixture, and molding and curing the mixture to form a building material. Pyrolysis char-containing materials are also disclosed.

The present disclosure concerns expandable silica particles having a coating comprising talc powder and kaolin powder provided on the outer surface of the expandable silica particle and expandable and expanded silica particles comprising silica fume and/or ultrafine quartz silica sand beneath the surface of the particles. Methods for producing expandable and expanded silica particles are disclosed, including a method using a vibration plate and a furnace having a vibration plate for carrying out that method. The expanded silica particles have high compressive strength, substantially uniform cell size and distribution, low water absorption, and low porosity on the outer surface. They are useful as a filler in matrix materials, like concrete or epoxy, as insulation material with various binder materials, and as water filtration medium.

The present disclosure concerns expandable silica particles having a coating comprising talc powder and kaolin powder provided on the outer surface of the expandable silica particle and expandable and expanded silica particles comprising silica fume and/or ultrafine quartz silica sand beneath the surface of the particles. Methods for producing expandable and expanded silica particles are disclosed, including a method using a vibration plate and a furnace having a vibration plate for carrying out that method. The expanded silica particles have high compressive strength, substantially uniform cell size and distribution, low water absorption, and low porosity on the outer surface. They are useful as a filler in matrix materials, like concrete or epoxy, as insulation material with various binder materials, and as water filtration medium.

A porous cellular body comprising primarily a porous sintered glass material is disclosed. The porous sintered glass material primarily includes a first phase and a second phase, the first phase primarily comprising amorphous fused silica and the second phase comprising amorphous fused silica and a sintering aid.

Coated proppants which exhibit superior proppant coatings and less fines generation are prepared by coating proppant particles with a reactive hybrid resin prepared by reaction of a phenol-formaldehyde resin and a co-reactive organopolysiloxane having at least three repeating siloxy groups, and is in free flowing form.

A liquid storage is provided that includes a sintered body made of glass or glass ceramic. The sintered body has an open porosity in a range from 10 to 90%. The sintered body is a shaped body having at least two channels that are completely or partially enclosed by the glass or glass ceramic. The sintered body is provided as a vaporizer for use in an electronic cigarette and/or in medication administration devices and/or in thermally heated vaporizers for fragrances. Here, the sintered body is a liquid storage and is used with a heating element.

A liquid storage is provided that includes a sintered body made of glass or glass ceramic. The sintered body has an open porosity in a range from 10 to 90%. The sintered body is a shaped body having at least two channels that are completely or partially enclosed by the glass or glass ceramic. The sintered body is provided as a vaporizer for use in an electronic cigarette and/or in medication administration devices and/or in thermally heated vaporizers for fragrances. Here, the sintered body is a liquid storage and is used with a heating element.

A glass, glass ceramic, or ceramic bead is described, with an internal porous scaffold microstructure that is surrounded be an amorphous shield. The shield serves to protect the internal porous microstructure of the shield while increasing the overall strength of the porous microstructure and improve the flowability of the beads either by themselves or in devices such as biologically degradable putty that would be used in bone or soft tissue augmentation or regeneration. The open porosity present inside the bead will allow for enhanced degradability in-vivo as compared to solid particles or spheres and also promote the growth of tissues including but not limited to all types of bone, soft tissue, blood vessels and nerves.

A glass, glass ceramic, or ceramic bead is described, with an internal porous scaffold microstructure that is surrounded be an amorphous shield. The shield serves to protect the internal porous microstructure of the shield while increasing the overall strength of the porous microstructure and improve the flowability of the beads either by themselves or in devices such as biologically degradable putty that would be used in bone or soft tissue augmentation or regeneration. The open porosity present inside the bead will allow for enhanced degradability in-vivo as compared to solid particles or spheres and also promote the growth of tissues including but not limited to all types of bone, soft tissue, blood vessels and nerves.

Disclosed herein are methods of reusing at least a portion of the scrap glass generated in a cellular glass manufacturing process by introducing the scrap glass back into a cellular glass manufacturing process. The methods comprise changing the overall glass composition allowing for higher oxidizer content, which, in turn, allows for inclusion of more scrap material in the glass melt and the cellular glass production process. In particular, the glass composition in the melt is treated to increase the amount of an oxidizer (e.g., MnO.sub.2) to amounts above those that are used in conventional manufacturing processes, while also maintaining important physical properties in the ultimate cellular glass product.