Based on current UK decarbonization policies, a general outlook on potential routes for the glass industry to achieve net zero is discussed and the differentiation during decarbonization is specified. Alternative glass batch raw materials and glass composition reformulation are highlighted here as important enablers for the glass industry to reduce its energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
Biomass ash is considered a potential alternative raw material for low-carbon glass manufacture as it is rich in certain advantageous components, chiefly network modifiers without carbonate. A biomass ash that was generated within the UK was successfully introduced into container glass in lab-based research and underwent pilot-scale trials. Simple sieving processes were shown to effectively separate impurities according to particle size distribution. UV-Vis-near IR absorption spectra of representative green container glasses produced using this biomass ash confirmed that ∼5 wt.% ash in representative glass batches had little impact on the colour and redox state of glasses.
Related ongoing research aims to investigate the compositions of commercial glasses currently present in the UK market. This study has involved sampling and analysing the compositions of over 30 commercial container and float glass samples from the UK market. These analyses reveal that commercial glasses of the same colour and function, from different manufacturing companies or sites exhibit different properties, with a difference in Log 2 viscosity (melting temperature) of over 20 oC in some cases. This study has identified significant energy-saving potential for some commercial glasses and provides further insight into the underlying reasons for differences in properties.