A SAMPLE PROJECT PROPOSAL

Project Title: Glass Production from Geothermal Scalings

Proponents: Ricaleen Celeste
Christine Corpus
Dexter Pazziugan
B’journ Cuento
Project Cost: P 5,000.00
Significance: Geothermal plants are one of the major sources of energy in our country. An average of
2.5 tons of geothermal scalings are being produced daily as a by-product of these plants
(Chua, Personal Communicaltion, 1995). This by-product of the operation has no known
use at present and if continuously unattended to, will pose a threat to the environment.
Geothermal scaling are rich in silica (Dimagiba et al, 1989), one of the raw materials for
glass production.
Glass is very valuable industrial product. It can be made into containers, optical
instruments, chemical apparatus, shields, construction materials for buildings, and
novelty wares. Conventionally, silica for glass production is mined. Search and utilization
of a cheap, environment-friendly, available, and accessible alternative silica source for
glass production would be significant.
Objective: This study aims to:
1. Product glass using geothermal scalings as a silica source;
2. Purify the geothermal scalings;
3. Determine the hardness and chemical resistance of glass produced from geothermal
scalings; and
4. Compare the properties of the experimental and controlled glass.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

The major problem in utilizing natural steam in generating electricity is scaling and deposition of
solids in the turbine, surface pipes, and silencer. These scalings are deposited as steam from beneath the
earth. These cool after coming out at the surface and become supersaturated with silica picked up at depth
(Dimagiba et al, 1994).
Silica is the most common compound on the earth’s surface. It occurs in the form of quartz, tridy
mite, and cristobalite consisting of 12% of the earth’s crust (Maher, 1969).
Silica is used in the manufacture of glass, ceramics, enamels, refractories, moulds, abrasive, and
mortars (Enclyclopedia Americana, 1992). Glass is used to mean an optically transparent fusion product
of inorganic materials that has cooled to a rigid stated without crystallizing (Chang, 1994).
 Glass has important characteristics that makes it indispensable as a building material in modern
civilization: its hardness, transparency, chemical resistance, refractive, and dispersive powers,
compressive and tensile strengths as well as low coefficients of expansion (Schreve, 1967).
One of the raw materials for glass manufacture is soda ash (sodium carbonate) which supplies
sodium oxide, a component necessary to flux the silica. Boric acid is added to decrease the thermal
expansion of the resulting product (McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, 1987).
All the above related information is useful in providing a standard procedure for the propose
production of glass from geothermal scalings. It also provides the background that scalings are indeed a
rich source of silica.

METHODOLOGY
I. Acquisition of Geothermal Scalings
Geothermal scaling will be acquired from Philippine National Oil Company in
Quezon City. These scalings will be acquired from the company’s geothermal plant in
Bicol.

II. Drying/Pulverization
The geothermal scalings (wet upon collection) will be sun-dried then pulverized
using a ceramic ball mill. The pulverized scaling will be sieved on a 50-wire mesh
screen.

III. Chemical Analysis

A sample of the scalings will be subjected to a chemical analysis to determine its
silica content.

IV. Washing. Drying, and Pulverization

The scalings will be treated with 8M HCl with a ratio of 1:3 (geothermal
scalings: acid) by volume for one hour. The scalings will be washed with water ten times
with a ration of 1:3 (geothermal scalings: water) by volume. After washing, the treated
scaling will be oven-dried and pulverized using a ceramic ballmil.
V. Chemical Analysis
A sample of treated scalings will be subjected to a chemical analysis to determine
the silica content.
VI. Preparation of Batches
Five batches will be prepared; one batch for clear transparent glass; a pair of
batches for shades of blue, and another pair for shades of green. The weights of the
components will be based on the calculated values depending on the glass composition.
Each of the batches will basically be composed of 57.89 g scalings, 61.15 boric acid, and
17.10 g sodium carbonate. To produce the clear glass, no coloring agent will be added.
The second will be mixed with 0.1 g cobalt, the third with 0.3 g cobalt, the fourth with
0.1 g chrome, and the fifth with 0.3 g chrome.
 VII. Firing of Batches
Each of these batches will be placed in a preheated furnace (1250°C for one
hour). The melt glass will be poured into a mold and cooled in a fiber-insulated oven.

VIII. Testing
Each of the produced glass batches, together with a standard glass will be
subjected to the Vicker’s microhardness test. The readings in the Vicker’s scale will be
transmuted into Rockwell-C scale. Using the data, the mean hardness of each of the
experimental glasses will be compared with that of the standard glass using a t-test for
two independent samples.
Each of the glass produced and a standard will be immersed separately in 6 M
NaOH and water to determine resistance towards such substances. For every gram of
glass sample, 10 mL of the test substance will be used.

IX. Statistical Analysis of Data

The data on hardness will be subject to a t-test for independent groups.
The data on chemical resistance will be subjected to Analysis of Variance.

Phases of the Research, Activities Involved, and Release of Funds

Timetable
Phase I
Review of related literature 2 months: June – July
Phase II
a. Collection of scalings 2 months: August - September
b. Purchases of other raw materials and
chemicals
c. Analysis of silica content of scalings
d. Purification of scalings

First release of funds: P2,000.00

Phase III
Glass production 2 months: October - November
Phase IV
Testing for the hardness and chemical resistance 2 months: December - January
Second release of funds: P1,500.00
Phase V
a. Organization, processing, analysis, and 2 months: February - March
interpretation of data
b. Preparation and binding of final paper
c. Preparation of poster exhibit
Third and final release of funds: P1,500.00
Total amount of funds released: P5,000.00
 LIST OF REFERENCES
Dimagiba, R.M., L. E. Ferolino, P.A.M. Ocampo, J. Solomon and M. Yambot. 1994. Silica Gel Dessicant
from Geothermal Scalings. PSHS Research paper. 1-16.
Encyclopedia Americana International. “Silica” Grolier Incorporated. N.Y. 24:814.
Gonzales, A.P., O.V.N. Fajilan, C.D.S Fernandez, R.R.C. Lita, and M.S.D. Albaytar. 2003. Volcanic Ash
as a Source of Silica Gel. PSHS Research Paper. 1-13.
Mather, P.K. 1969. Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. “Silica” Interscience Publishers. N.Y. 18:4-
46.
McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. 1987. “Glass and Glass Products”. McGraw Hill
Book Co. N.Y. 8:125-130.
Shreve, W. 1967. Chemical Process Industries. McGraw Hill Co., 190-196.