Pilkington UK has fired its glass furnace using 100% biofuel, in a potential world first for flat glass manufacturers. The firing was part of a trial that seeks to apply sustainable alternatives to natural gas. The £7.1m trial is led by industry research and technology organisation Glass Futures, working under the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s energy innovation programme. Pilkington UK is part of the NSG Group.
A sustainable biofuel made from organic waste materials powered the St Helens glass manufacturer’s furnace entirely for four days, creating 165,000ft² of the lowest carbon float glass ever made. The fuel emits circa 80% less CO2 than traditional natural gas.
Pilkington UK fired hydrogen on its glass furnace last August, in another groundbreaking trial as part of the HyNet Industrial fuel switching project to decarbonise industrial processes across the north west of England.
Neil Syder, Pilkington UK’s managing director, said: “Our world-first trial with Glass Futures proves how biofuel presents a realistic low-carbon alternative to natural gas. This will allow manufacturers to cut thousands of tonnes of CO2 from their production years ahead of alternative zero-carbon options becoming more readily available.
“Last summer, we became the first glass manufacturer in the world to fire a furnace with hydrogen, which represented a major step forward towards our future as a net-zero industry. But a significant body of work remains before hydrogen and electrification become feasible alternatives to natural gas for glassmakers, making biofuels an important transitionary fuel.
“The success of this trial is also important for the many sectors that rely on glass as an integral supply chain material. We’re now far closer to glass with less embodied carbon being accessible, which will help developers to create a more sustainable built environment.”
Aston Fuller, general manager for Glass Futures, said: “It is great to see a technology demonstrated on a container furnace one year ago be adopted onto a float line just one year later. Biofuel represents a real short-term opportunity for the UK glass sector to lead the way in sustainability among energy intensive industries, and this trial is another great example of what can be achieved when industry, academia and public partners work together to tackle the major challenges and opportunities of the future.”
Greg Hands, UK energy and climate change minister ,added: “These fuel switching trials demonstrate how we are supporting industry to decarbonise and move away from relying on fossil fuels. This is vital to reducing emissions and driving forward the UK’s green industrial revolution.”
