Ardagh Glass UK facility cuts CO2 emissions in biofuel furnace trial
Ardagh Glass has successfully produced glass packaging using biofuel in a furnace during an industrial fuel switching trial at its Knottingley, UK facility. The trial resulted in a reduction of CO2 emissions by 242 metric tons compared to emissions from the same furnace operating entirely on natural gas.
The £6 million (US$8 million) industrial fuel switching trial was funded by the UK Government’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio program and led by Glass Futures, the UK-based Global Centre of Excellence for glass R&D, Innovation and Training.
Dean Butler, business development director at Ardagh Group, says: “This trial validated and supported our existing knowledge and proved that liquid bio-derived fuels can effectively replace natural gas in glass packaging production over an extended period.”
“This is an exciting development for the glass industry as we continue to seek innovative solutions to reduce carbon emissions. The trial provides a clear example of how adopting liquid bio-derived fuels has the potential to help the industry meet its ambitious sustainability goals.”
Several manufacturers in the glass and ceramics sectors, including AGP-Europe, Encirc, O-I Glass, Pilkington UK, and DSF Refractories & Minerals, were also involved in the trial.
Decarbonizing glass
The trial set out to evaluate the feasibility of using alternative liquid bio-derived fuels in the glass melting process to fully replace natural gas with lower-carbon biofuel in the furnace, where the material is heated.
According to Ardagh Glass, the seven-day trial fully replaced natural gas with liquid bio-derived fuels, producing 4.1 million glass containers.
Ardagh Glass says that the trial highlights the potential significance of biofuels in decarbonizing the glass industry.
Last December, Ardagh Glass announced its production of “green” hydrogen for glass melting using a hydrogen electrolyzer at its facility in Limmared, Sweden. It also equipped a Sweden-based gin company and a US-based coffee enterprise with locally produced glass bottles.
