Lower-energy routes to commercial soda-lime-silica glass manufacture through changes in the raw materials balance

This project is a collaboration between Glass Technology Services Ltd and Sheffield Hallam University that will

undertake a feasibility study to develop lower-energy routes to produce commercial soda-lime-silica glass. We

propose to make changes in raw materials composition and balance, including the partial replacement of batch

ingredients in a glass melting furnace to reduce melting temperatures and melting times, and consequently

reduce energy consumption, costs and emissions by 5-10% across the UK glass manufacturing industry. An

innovative and critical aspect of this research will be to apply chemistry techniques to waste products from

other industries (e.g. rice husk, banana waste, sea shells) to develop raw materials that can be introduced into

glass melting processes to either reduce the high temperature viscosity or provide lower energy input for

fusion. If successful this project will lead on to a second stage programme of applied research targeted at

developing scalable technology that can be introduced into the UK's 18 glass manufacturing sites.