Foam glass is an innovative and sustainable material for various applications such as lightweight construction, thermal and acoustic insulation, or even catalysis. Using waste glass as starting material, the production of foam glass is an upcycling process, yielding a durable, non-flammable, highly porous lightweight material.

Different applications necessitate varying degrees of open or closed foam cells, respectively. Using manganese oxides as foaming agents, glass foams with a share of open cells as high as 99 % can be obtained by carefully adjusting the process conditions.

Moreover, when phase separable sodium borosilicate glasses are used as starting material, additional nanoporosity may be introduced within the walls of the glass foam. The surface area is thus enhanced, and possible applications as catalysts or filters arise.