Making a pelletized glass batch for soda-lime glass manufacture

摘要

This invention pertains to improvements in the manufacture of soda-lime glass from pelletized glass batch material in which a major portion of the alkali metal oxide flux material (e.g. Na2O) in the final glass is derived from an alkali metal hydroxide (e.g. NaOH) and in which the alkali metal hydroxide is reacted with alkaline earth metal oxide source material during the preparation of the pelletized glass batch material. The improvements are obtained by reacting aqueous, concentrated, alkali metal hydroxide with at least a portion of the alkaline earth metal oxide source material (e.g. limestone) to form an aqueous slurry which contains the reaction products, then mixing with the slurry the remaining glass batch materials under conditions to assure thorough mixing and then pelletizing and heating the batch material at a temperature of at least about 145 DEG C to assure substantially complete drying of the pellets and substantially complete reaction of the alkali metal hydroxide.