The present invention relates to the methods of recycling electrochromic devices and also designing such devices while keeping recyclability in perspective. Recyclability includes recovering of certain materials for re-use within the same application or other applications. Using recycling reduces or eliminates waste stream quantities to be disposed of and/or reduces toxicity of these waste streams.

A method of washing and grading silica sand for glass production includes removing trash and relatively large contaminants from a sand feed material via a sequence of multiple vibrating screens, collection sumps, hydrocyclones, a density separator, a classification tank, and a dewatering screen. The resulting silica sand product is suitable for glass production.

In a method for producing an expanded-glass granular material, starting materials containing glass powder, water glass, at least one blowing agent, and metakaolin, are mixed in order to form a homogeneous slurry. The slurry is granulated to form raw granular-material particles, which are foamed at a baking temperature between 780 C. and 950 C. in order to form expanded-glass granular-material particles. The expanded-glass granular material has a long-term water absorption of less than 25 volume percent when the expanded-glass granular material is exposed to water for a time period of 21 days.

A method for preparing quartz glass with low content of hydroxyl and high purity, includes providing silica powders including hydroxyl groups. The silica powders are dehydroxylated, which includes drying the silica powders at a first temperature, heating the silica powders up to a second temperature and introducing a first oxidizing gas including halogen gas, thereby obtaining first dehydroxylated powders, and heating the first dehydroxylated powders up to a third temperature and introducing a second oxidizing gas including oxygen or ozone, thereby obtaining second dehydroxylated powders. The second dehydroxylated powders are heated up to a fourth temperature to obtain a vitrified body. The vitrified body is cooled to obtain the quartz glass with low content of hydroxyl and high purity. The quartz glass prepared by the above method has low content of hydroxyl and high purity. A quartz glass with low content of hydroxyl and high purity is also provided.

A resin composition for inorganic molded article production use, which is provided with inorganic particles each containing amorphous SiO.sub.2 and a photocurable resin composition, in which the photocurable resin composition contains a photocurable resin precursor and a photopolymerization initiator, the content of the inorganic particles is 60% by mass or more with respect to the total amount of the photocurable resin composition and the inorganic particles and is 60% by mass or more with respect to the entire amount of the resin composition for inorganic molded article production use, and the viscosity of the composition for inorganic molded article production use is 10000 mPa.Math.s or less.

Glass batch materials and processes for preparing and melting structured pellets of glass batch materials to produce molten glass. A structured pellet of glass batch materials may include a core and a shell surrounding the core. The core may include a mixture of glass-forming materials and the shell may include a thermally-activated material. The thermally-activated material may be formulated to undergo an exothermic chemical reaction when heated to a temperature at or above a threshold temperature such that heat is transferred from the shell to the mixture of glass-forming materials in the core.

Process for the manufacture of a material on the basis of calcium- and/or magnesium carbonate having a reduced decrepitation tendency, wherein a material on the basis of calcium- and/or magnesium carbonate is treated with at least one additive selected among alkali metal compounds and/or acids and/or alkaline earth metal compounds in an amount of 0.05 to 5 wt. % based on the amount of the material on the basis of calcium- and/or magnesium carbonate. Also claimed are the material obtainable by the process and showing reduced decrepitation tendency and the use of such material in the manufacture of glass.

A method for producing a solid electrolyte, comprising: grinding raw materials comprising lithium sulfide and phosphorus sulfide in a hydrocarbon solvent, optionally comprising stirring a slurry comprising the raw materials and the hydrocarbon solvent in a reaction vessel, and optionally, circulating the slurry through a connecting pipe, wherein the method is carried out in an apparatus comprising the grinder, the reaction vessel and the connecting pipe that connects the grinder and the reaction vessel.

A method for producing a solid electrolyte, comprising: grinding raw materials comprising lithium sulfide and phosphorus sulfide in a hydrocarbon solvent, optionally comprising stirring a slurry comprising the raw materials and the hydrocarbon solvent in a reaction vessel, and optionally, circulating the slurry through a connecting pipe, wherein the method is carried out in an apparatus comprising the grinder, the reaction vessel and the connecting pipe that connects the grinder and the reaction vessel.

A method for producing hollow glass microspheres includes preparing an aqueous suspension of starting materials including finely ground glass and waterglass. Combustible particles are produced from the suspension and are mixed with an AlO(OH)-containing pulverulent release agent. The mixture of combustible particles and release agent is introduced into a combustion chamber of a furnace where it is expanded at a combustion temperature which exceeds the softening temperature of the finely ground glass, to form the hollow microspheres. Hollow glass microspheres produced according to the method are also provided.