RECYCLED GLASS POZZOLEN FOR CONCRETE

Abstract

An apparatus for producing pozzolanic material from consumer waste includes a glass separator unit for removing glass material from the waste and a size reduction unit downstream of the glass separator unit. The glass separator unit includes an outer tubular member and an inner helical member extending inward from the inner surface of the outer tubular member, defining an open central orifice. The outer tubular member and the open central orifice define coaxial longitudinal axes arranged at an angle to a horizontal reference plane, with the inlet higher than the outlet. Non-glass / non-ceramic material is discharged through the open outlet end of the outer tubular member using a water flow.The glass / ceramic material is fed into the size reduction unit through the open inlet end of the tubular outer member using the rotating inner helical member of the glass separator unit.

Description

RECYCLED GLASS POZZOLAN FOR CONCRETE FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to glass powder and, more particularly, to post-consumer recycled glass powder; and even more particularly to post-consumer recycled glass powder where the powder comprises a percentage of ceramic material; and even more particularly to a pozzolanic material comprising post-consumer recycled glass powder where the powder comprises a percentage of ceramic material. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Pozzolans are silicate-based materials that, on their own, have no cementitious value. However, when a fine powder is reacted with calcium hydroxide in the presence of moisture, the resulting reaction forms cementitious compounds. A major source of pozzolanic material is fly ash from coal-fired power plants. However, as more and more coal-fired power plants are decommissioned in favor of greener technologies, the amount of available fly ash has decreased. As a result, there is a need for alternative sources of pozzolanic material. An alternative source of such material is recycled consumer glass. Consumer glass is typically boron-based silicate or aluminosilicate material, making it an ideal source of pozzolanic material. One disadvantage, however, of using recycled glass is the presence of ceramic materials in the waste stream. Typically, pozzolan producers attempt to minimize the ceramic content of the starting material before grinding or crushing it to form the fine pozzolan powder. Separating the ceramic materials increases production time, which in turn increases production costs. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a system and method for producing a sustainable pozzolan for concrete made from recycled glass with a relatively high amount of ceramic material, in order to decrease the manufacturing cost of the pozzolan and increase the amount of material obtained that is reused. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a sustainable pozzolan for concrete can be made from recycled glass taken from recycling facilities that would otherwise be used for landfill. The pozzolan can replace up to 50 percent of the Portland cement in concrete. Portland cement is the economically and environmentally intensive component of concrete. Pozzolan materials prepared according to one embodiment of the present invention allow concrete manufacturers to reduce their environmental impact by significantly reducing their CO2 emissions while also diverting glass material that would otherwise go to landfill, all at a lower cost. According to one aspect of the present invention, an exemplary embodiment can be directed to a glass separator configured to receive consumer waste and comprising a tubular outer member having an inner and an outer surface defining an open inlet end and an open outlet end. The tubular outer member defines a first longitudinal axis. An inner helical member extends into the inner surface of the tubular outer member. The inner helical member defines an open central hole extending the length of the tubular outer member from the open inlet end to the open outlet end. The inner helical member defines a second longitudinal axis.The longitudinal axes are coaxial and configured to be arranged at an angle relative to a horizontal reference plane where the open inlet end is arranged vertically higher than the open outlet end. In one aspect, the width of the inner helical member may be less than half the diameter of the outer tubular member, and may be less than one-quarter of the diameter of the outer tubular member, and may be even less than one-tenth of the diameter of the outer tubular member. The glass separator unit may further include a conveyor having a first end configured to receive the consumer waste and a second end disposed within the open central bore and configured to deposit the consumer waste into the outer tubular member. The conveyor may extend within the open central bore approximately half the length of the outer tubular member, while the consumer waste may comprise one or more of non-metallic consumer waste, material recovery facility (MRF) waste, construction and demolition (C&D) waste, and automobile recycling waste. According to a further aspect, an apparatus for producing pozzolanic material from consumer waste may comprise a glass separator unit configured to remove glass material from the waste. The glass separator unit may comprise a tubular outer member having an inner and an outer surface that define an open inlet end and an open outlet end. An inner helical member extends inward from the inner surface of the tubular outer member and defines a central open hole extending from the open inlet end to the open outlet end. The tubular outer member and the central open hole define respective coaxial longitudinal axes that are configured to be arranged at an angle with respect to a horizontal reference plane. The open inlet end is arranged vertically higher than the open outlet end.A size reduction unit may be located downstream of the glass separator unit and is configured to produce the pozzolanic material. In another aspect, the apparatus may also include a metal separator unit upstream of the size reduction unit. The metal separator unit can be configured to remove ferrous and non-ferrous material from the consumer waste. The metal separator unit may include a revolving belt with a first end and a second end. The revolving belt unit is configured to receive the consumer waste and has a conveyor belt mounted on a first roller at one end of the conveyor belt and on a second roller at the other end. The second roller includes a magnetic eddy diffusion roller that rotates eccentrically within an outer roller. A suspended magnetic separator, which has a revolving belt and a magnet, is located above the revolving belt unit.The upper magnetic separator is configured to attract ferrous material from the consumer waste disposed of on the revolving belt unit using a magnet, such that the ferrous material is removed from the consumer waste and deposited into a first collection compartment. The magnetic eddy diffusion roller is configured to eject non-ferrous metal from the consumer waste disposed of on the revolving belt unit, such that the non-ferrous metal is deposited into either the first collection compartment or a second collection compartment. The resulting non-metallic consumer waste can then be fed to the glass separator unit. In another aspect, the apparatus may also include a drying unit located downstream of the glass separator and upstream of the size reduction unit. The drying unit may be a rotary drum dryer or a fluidized bed dryer. Furthermore, the apparatus may also include a size classification unit downstream of the size reduction unit. Material smaller than a preselected size can be removed from the size classification unit as pozzolanic material, while material larger than the preselected size is returned to the size reduction unit for further processing. According to the present invention, another aspect is directed to a method for producing pozzolanic material from non-metal consumer waste where the non-metal consumer waste includes glass / ceramic material having a first density and non-glass / non-ceramic material having a second density that is less than the first density.The method may comprise providing a glass separator unit having an outer tubular member and an inner helical member; providing a conveyor having a first end and a second end, wherein the second end of the conveyor is disposed within a central open bore of the glass separator unit; rotating the glass separator unit; injecting a fluid into the inlet end of the outer tubular member; introducing the consumable material into the first end of the conveyor; ejecting the non-glass / non-ceramic material through the outlet end of the outer tubular member using the flow of the fluid; ejecting the glass / ceramic material through the inlet end of the outer tubular member using the rotation of the inner helical member; and reducing the particle size of the ejected glass / ceramic material. Additionally, the method may include drying the extruded glass / ceramic material before the reduction stage. The particle size reduction stage of the extruded glass / ceramic can be performed using a ball mill. The method may also include the additional step of providing a classification unit configured to classify the powder into one or more particle sizes. When the powder is classified as a first particle size larger than a predetermined particle size, the powder is reprocessed for further size reduction. When the powder is classified as a second particle size smaller than the predetermined particle size, the powder is designated as pozzolanic material. Other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become evident from the following description taken in relation to the attached drawings, which illustrate and exemplify various aspects of this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and are to be read in conjunction with it, wherein similar reference numbers are used to indicate similar parts in the various views, and wherein: FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for producing pozzolanic material from material recovery facility (MRF) waste according to an aspect of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of an exemplary embodiment of a consumer waste separator suitable for use with the exemplary apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and FIG. 3 is an end view of the exemplary modality of a consumer waste separator shown in the i / η; ηη / ίζηζ / E / γίΛΐ FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary apparatus 100 configured to produce pozzolanic material 102 from consumer waste 104 according to the present invention is shown. Consumer waste may refer to any pre- or post-consumer waste material. Non-limiting examples of suitable waste streams include material recovery facility (MRF) waste, construction and demolition (C&D) waste, and automotive recycling waste, such as automotive waste residue (ASR). Initially, the consumer waste 104 may optionally be loaded into a metal separator unit 106 capable of separating ferrous metal 108 and non-ferrous metal 110 from non-metal waste 112. By way of example and without limitation, the metal separator unit 106 may include a revolving belt unit 114 having a conveyor belt 116 mounted on a first roller 118 at a first end 120, whereby the consumable waste 104 is deposited near the first end 120. The consumable waste 104 may then travel along the conveyor belt 116 to a second end 122, which includes a second roller 124. According to one aspect of the present invention, the second roller 124 may include a magnetic eddy diffusion roller 126 therein, which eccentrically revolves the outer roller 128. The metal separator unit 106 may also include a magnetic separator 132 having a revolving belt 134 and a magnet 136 mounted above the conveyor belt 116. As the consumer waste 104 travels from the first end 120 to the second end 122, ferrous metal 108 is attracted to the magnet 136 and held above the conveyor belt 116 on the revolving belt 134. The ferrous metal 108 then travels on the revolving belt 134 until it is released from the magnet 136 and deposited into a collection compartment 138. The eccentric revolution of the eddy diffusion roller 126 also causes non-ferrous metal 110 to be ejected from the consumer waste 104. The non-metallic waste 112 can then fall from the second end 122, whereby the non-metallic waste 112 can undergo further processing as described below.In this way, by having a magnetic separator in addition to the Eddy diffusion roll, two different metal material streams can be produced, one that is ferrous metal and the other that is non-ferrous metal. After metal separation within the metal separator unit 106, the non-metal waste 112 (or consumer waste 104 if the metal separator unit 106 is omitted) passes to the glass / ceramic separator unit 140 (hereafter referred to as the glass separator unit 140). With further reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the glass separator unit 140 has a tubular outer member 142 having an outer surface 143 and an inner surface 144, an open inlet end 146, and an open outlet end 148. The inner helical member 150 is fixedly coupled to the tubular outer member 142 and extends inward from the inner surface 144.According to one aspect of the present invention, the width W of the helical member 150 is less than approximately half the diameter D of the outer tubular member 142, and more specifically, it is less than approximately one-quarter of the diameter D, and still more specifically, it is approximately one-tenth of the diameter D, to define an open central hole 152. The width W may be the same along the entire length of the helical member 150 or may be of different dimensions along its length, and in one case, it may taper uniformly from its smallest width at the open inlet end 146 to its largest width at the open outlet end 148, or vice versa. The helical member 150 may also have any desired spacing, and according to one aspect of the present invention, the spacing P is selected such that the helical member 150 completes 1 to 3 turns between the open inlet end 146 and the open outlet end 148. The outer tubular member 142 and the open central hole 152 define respective coaxial longitudinal axes A, A'. In one aspect of the present invention, the longitudinal axes A, A' are arranged at an angle T with respect to a horizontal reference plane H. The angle T can be any suitable angle between approximately 10° and 45°, and more specifically between approximately 5° and 20°, and still more specifically between approximately 10° and 15°. The open inlet end 146 is arranged vertically higher than the open outlet end 148. During operation, the glass separator unit 140 is rotated about longitudinal axes A and A', while a high-volume fluid flow, such as water 154, is injected or introduced into an open inlet end 146. While any suitable fluid can be used within the glass separator unit 140, the following discussion will focus on the use of water 154. In a non-limiting example, the water flow rate 154 can be approximately 30–40 gallons per minute (GPM), although it should be understood that any desired flow rate can be used and adjusted to accommodate glass separator units of varying diameters and / or lengths. Similarly, the rotation speed of the glass separator unit 140 can be varied depending on the unit's dimensions, but in a non-limiting example, the rotation speed is selected to approximately 15 rotations per minute (RPM). As shown in FIG. 1, non-metal waste ií n; n / izz / E / ríLi 112 can be deposited into the glass separator unit 140 using a trough, tube, or other similar conveying device 156. In one aspect of the invention, the conveying device 156 is configured to extend approximately halfway along the length of the glass separator unit 140 such that the non-metallic waste 112 is deposited close to the midpoint M along the length L of the tubular outer member 142. Dense material, such as glass and ceramics, will sink within the water flow 154 to rest on the inner surface 144 of the tubular outer member 142, while less dense material, such as plastic, paper, cardboard, and the like, will float or remain suspended within the water 154 and pass down from the open central orifice 152 to the outlet glass separator unit 140 through the open bottom end 148.The paper / plastic waste 158 can then be screened, filtered, and / or pressed for further processing, while the extracted water 160 can be recirculated. The glass and ceramic material 160 will be coupled with the helical member 150 and lifted from the glass separator unit 140 through the open inlet end 146 as the unit rotates. The glass and ceramic material 162 can then be collected for further processing, as will be discussed in more detail below. While the present invention is not limited solely to the same, it has been found that the position of the it η; ηη / ίζηζ / E / γίΛΐ transport 156 close to the intermediate line M facilitates the separation of the glass and ceramic material 162 while minimizing the loss of uncaptured glass and ceramic material in the discharged paper / plastic waste 158 (which may result when transport 156 is positioned close to the outlet end 148) and that it minimizes the unwanted escape of paper or plastic materials through the open inlet end 146 together with the glass and ceramic material 162 (which may result when transport 156 is positioned close to the inlet end 146). It should be further noted by those skilled in the art that while any suitable helical member may be used, the width of the helical member 150, together with the angle of the tubular outer member 142, can be adjusted to maximize separation efficiencies while minimizing water waste. By way of example, and without limitation, the width W of the helical member 150 may be selected to be less than the diameter D of the tubular outer member 142 such that the helical member does not completely occlude or obstruct the open central orifice 152 when viewed from the end (see FIG. 3). Rather, the width W may be selected to extend across only a fraction of the diameter D, and in one embodiment, the maximum width W of the helical member 150 is approximately one-tenth of the diameter D. i / η; nn / Lznz / E / YiAi While not tied to any specific theory, the limiting width W provides several benefits. First, maintaining an unobstructed central opening 152 creates a laminar flow zone for water 154 along the length of the outer tubular member 142. This laminar flow helps separate the paper / plastic waste 158 from the glass and ceramic material 162 by directing the paper / plastic waste 158 away from the open outlet end 148. In other words, the paper / plastic waste 158 is less likely to couple with the helical member 150, thereby increasing separation efficiencies. Second, the helical member 150 can act similarly to an Archimedes water screw, such that water inside the outer tubular member 142 can be expelled from the open inlet end 146. However, by limiting the width of the helical member 150 (the screw), the amount of water drawn into the screw can be minimized. The presence of glass and ceramic material 162 in the helical member 150 can further reduce the amount of water that can travel along the screw. Coupled with the limited width W, the selection of the angle T can also improve efficiencies. That is, if the angle T is very large (i.e., an end approaching 90°), the glass and ceramic material 162 can simply fall through the outer tubular member 142 and pass through the open outlet end 148 along with the paper / plastic waste 158.Conversely, if the angle T is very deep (i.e., approximately 0°), the helical member 150 may be able to pump water out of the open inlet end 146. In this way, the width W and the angle T can be individually and / or collectively optimized for each respective system 100. With continued reference to FIG. 1, after exiting the open inlet end 146 of the tubular outer member 142, the glass and ceramic material 162 can optionally be supplied to the drying unit 164 where the moisture content within the glass and ceramic material 162 is reduced, preferably to less than 10% water, and even more preferably to less than approximately 3% water. The drying unit 164 can utilize common means such as airflow, heat, or fluidized bed techniques. By way of example, and without limitation, the drying unit 164 can be a rotary drum dryer or a fluidized bed dryer. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the drying unit 164 comprises a fluidized bed dryer 166 having a dryer housing 168 and a perforated bed 170. The wet glass and ceramic material 162 is loaded into the dryer housing 168, while hot, dry air 172 is then injected into the dryer housing 168 beneath the perforated bed 170, such that the dry air 172 passes through and rises in the glass and ceramic material 162 (i.e., the solid materials become fluidized in the gas). The passage of the hot gas through the material causes the glass and ceramic material 162 to dry, at which point the dry glass and ceramic material 174 exits the dryer unit 164 and is directed to the size reduction unit 176.While optional, the drying unit provides a number of advantages, such as reducing the weight of the material entering the size reduction unit 176, reducing product agglomeration within the size reduction unit 176, and also facilitating the classification of the final pozzolanic material, as will be described in more detail below. The apparatus 100 may further include the size reduction unit 176 configured to crush, grind, pulverize, or otherwise reduce the particle size of the glass and ceramic material 162 (or the dry glass and ceramic material 174) to the desired dimensions of the final pozzolanic material product 102. While any suitable size reduction instrument may be used, according to one aspect of the present invention, the size reduction unit 176 is a mill, such as a ball mill, roller mill, or hammer mill. As shown in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the size reduction unit 176 is a ball mill 178 comprising a mill housing 180 within which the size reduction medium, typically steel balls 182, resides. The glass and ceramic material 162, 174 is fed through the inlet end 185 into the mill housing 180.The rotation of the mill housing 180 causes kinetic collisions between the balls 182 and the glass and ceramic material 162, 174. Repeated collisions eventually result in the glass and ceramic material 162, 174 being reduced to a fine powder 184 that is discharged through the outlet end 186. According to one aspect of the present invention, the fine powder 184 may comprise the final pozzolanic material product 102. According to a further aspect of the present invention, the fine powder 184 discharged through the outlet end 186 can optionally be fed into a size classification unit 188. By way of example, and without limitation, the size classification unit 188 may be an air classifier, sieve assembly, or other suitable device. The exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes a sieve assembly 190 as the size classification unit 188. The sieve assembly 190 may include at least one sieve cover 192 comprising a screen 194 therein through which the fine powder 184 is passed.The screen 194 is configured to include a user-selected mesh size such that particles smaller than the preselected mesh size pass through the screen 194 and are collected as the final pozzolanic material product 102, while particles 196 that are larger than the preselected mesh size fail to pass through the screen 194. The larger particles 196 can then be recycled to the size reduction unit 176 for further processing. According to one aspect of the present invention, the preselected mesh size is approximately 35 micrometers. It should be noted that additional sieve covers may be used, where the sequential covers include serially smaller mesh sizes, with the final (lowest) sieve cover including sieve 194 having the preselected mesh size as described above. Multiple sieve covers with decreasing mesh sizes can help prevent clogging of any single sieve cover. It should also be noted that the sieve assembly 190 may further include a vibration source such that the sieve cover(s) 192 can be agitated to aid in the filtration of fine powder 184 through the cover sieve(s). The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for illustrative and descriptive purposes. It is not intended to be exhaustive, nor is it intended to limit the invention to the precise form described. It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the embodiments described may be modified in view of prior learning. The embodiments described are chosen to provide an illustration of the principles of the invention and their practical application, thereby enabling a person of ordinary skill in the art to use the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suitable for the particular use contemplated. Therefore, the foregoing description is to be regarded as exemplary rather than limiting.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A glass separator unit configured to receive consumer waste therein, the glass separator unit characterized in that it comprises: a tubular outer member having an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the tubular outer member defines an open inlet end and an open outlet end, and wherein the tubular outer member defines a first longitudinal axis;and an inner helical member extending inward from the inner surface of the outer tubular member, wherein the inner helical member defines a central open hole extending a length of the outer tubular member from the open inlet end to the open outlet end, wherein the inner helical member defines a second longitudinal axis, wherein the first and second longitudinal axes are coaxial, wherein the first and second longitudinal axes are configured to be arranged at an angle with respect to a horizontal reference plane, and wherein the open inlet end is arranged vertically higher than the open outlet end.

2. The glass separator unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the width of the inner helical member is less than half of the diameter of the outer tubular member.

3. The glass separator unit according to claim 2, characterized in that the width of the inner helical member is less than one-quarter of the diameter of the outer tubular member.

4. The glass separator unit according to claim 3, characterized in that the width of the inner helical member is less than one tenth of the diameter of the outer tubular member.

5. The glass separator unit according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a transport having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the transport is configured to receive the consumer waste, wherein the second end of the transport is disposed within the open central hole of the inner helical member, and wherein the second end of the transport is configured to deposit the consumer waste within the tubular exterior.

6. The glass separator unit according to claim 5, characterized in that the conveyor extends within the open central hole of the inner helical member approximately half the length of the outer tubular member.

7. The glass separator unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the consumption waste comprises one or more of material recovery facility (MRF) waste, construction and demolition (C&D) waste, and automobile recycling waste.

8. The glass separator unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the consumer waste is non-metal consumer waste.

9. An apparatus for producing pozzolanic material from consumer waste, characterized in that it comprises: a) a glass separator unit configured to remove glass material from consumer waste, wherein the glass separator unit comprises: i) a tubular outer member having an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the tubular outer member defines an open inlet end and an open outlet end, and wherein the tubular outer member defines a first longitudinal axis;and ii) an inner helical element extending inwards from the inner surface of the tubular outer member, wherein the inner helical member defines a central open hole extending from the open inlet end to the open outlet end, wherein the inner helical member defines a second longitudinal axis, wherein the first and second longitudinal axes are coaxial, wherein the first and second longitudinal axes are configured to be arranged at an angle with respect to a horizontal reference plane, and wherein the open inlet end is arranged vertically higher than the open outlet end; and b) a size reduction unit running downstream of the glass separator unit configured to produce the pozzolanic material.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that it further comprises a metal separator unit upstream of the size reduction unit, wherein the metal separator unit is configured to remove ferrous and non-ferrous metal material from the consumer waste.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that the metal separator unit comprises: a revolving belt unit configured to receive consumer waste and having a conveyor belt having a first end and a second end, wherein the conveyor belt unit is mounted on a first roller at the first end of the conveyor belt, wherein the revolving belt unit is mounted on a second roller at the second end of the conveyor belt, wherein the second roller includes a magnetic eddy diffusion roller that revolves eccentrically within an outer roller; yi / η;A suspended magnetic separator having a revolving belt and a magnet, wherein the suspended magnetic separator is located above the revolving belt unit, wherein the suspended magnetic separator is configured to attract ferrous metal material within the consumer waste disposed on the revolving belt unit using the magnet, wherein the ferrous material is removed from the consumer waste and deposited into a first collection compartment, and wherein the magnetic eddy diffusion roller is configured to eject non-ferrous metal material from the consumer waste disposed on the revolving belt unit, wherein the non-ferrous metal material is deposited into the first collection compartment or a second collection compartment, and wherein the resulting non-metal consumer waste disposed on the revolving belt unit is fed to the glass separator unit.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that it further comprises a drying unit arranged downstream of the glass separator unit.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the drying unit is arranged upstream of the size reduction unit.

14. The apparatus according to claim ii; ηη / ίζηζ / E / γίΛΐ 12, characterized in that the drying unit comprises a rotary drum dryer or a fluidized bed dryer.

15. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that it further comprises a size sorting unit disposed downstream of the size reduction unit, wherein material smaller than a pre-selected size is removed from the size sorting unit, and wherein material larger than the pre-selected size is returned to the size reduction unit.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that it further comprises: a metal separator unit arranged upstream of the size reduction unit, wherein the metal separator unit is configured to remove ferrous and non-ferrous metal material from the consumer waste; and a drying unit arranged downstream of the glass separator unit.

17. A method for producing pozzolanic material from non-metallic consumer waste, wherein the non-metallic consumer waste includes glass / ceramic material and non-glass / non-ceramic material, wherein the glass / ceramic material has a first density, and wherein the non-glass / non-ceramic material has a second density that is less than the first density, the method characterized in that it comprises: providing a glass separator unit comprising a tubular outer member and an inner helical member, wherein the tubular outer member includes an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the tubular outer member defines an open inlet end and an open outlet end, wherein the tubular outer member defines a first longitudinal axis, and wherein the inner helical member extends into the inner surface of the tubular outer member.wherein the inner helical member defines a central open orifice extending a length of the outer tubular member from the open inlet end to the open outlet end, wherein the inner helical member defines a second longitudinal axis, wherein the first and second longitudinal axes are coaxial, wherein the first and second longitudinal axes are configured to be arranged at an angle with respect to a horizontal reference plane, and wherein the open inlet end is arranged vertically higher than the open outlet end; providing a conveyor having a first end and a second end, wherein the second end of the conveyor is disposed within the central open orifice of the inner helical member; rotating the glass separator unit about the coaxial first and second longitudinal axes; injecting a fluid flow at the inlet,from the open inlet end of the tubular outer member; introduce consumable waste at the first end of the conveyor; discharge the non-glass / non-ceramic material through the open outlet end of the tubular outer member using fluid flow; discharge the glass / ceramic material through the open inlet end of the tubular outer member using the rotating inner helical member of the glass separator unit; and reduce the particle size of the discharged glass / ceramic material to produce a powder, wherein the powder includes pozzolanic material.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that it further comprises the step of drying the ejected glass / ceramic material prior to the step of reducing the particle size of the ejected glass / ceramic material.

19. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that the step of reducing the particle size of the glass / ceramic material that was produced is carried out by means of a ball mill.

20. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that it further comprises the steps of: providing a classification unit configured to classify the powder into one or more particle sizes, wherein when the powder is classified as a first particle size that is larger than a predetermined particle size, the powder is again reprocessed for further size reduction, and wherein when the powder is classified as a second particle size that is smaller than the predetermined particle size, the powder is designated as the pozzolanic material.

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