Glass Futures has conducted a successful, industrial-scale biofuel trial at Pilkington UK’s site in St Helens.
The trial was part of a project to demonstrate low-cost bioderived fuels for industrial glass and ceramics sites.
The project will see Glass Futures conduct five trials* in total to develop a detailed understanding of these fuels, their availability and potential CO2 savings.
It will also assess their compatibility with Carbon Capture Utilisation & Storage (CCUS) technologies in a project led by C-Capture**, demonstrating the potential to remove CO2 from the flue gas emissions.
Caio Mendonça, R&D Senior Decarbonisation Technologist at Pilkington UK, said: "This groundbreaking trial is an exciting step towards net-zero, and highlights our dedication to sustainable innovation within the glass industry.
“By testing biofuels at an industrial scale, we are pushing the boundaries of what is possible and demonstrating the power of cleaner, low-carbon alternatives to natural gas.
"This project is not just about reducing our own carbon footprint but also paving the way for the entire industry to transition towards more environmentally friendly practices.
“The insights we gain will help to accelerate the development of practical, cost-effective solutions that can be implemented across the sector.”
The project is funded by the UK government, under the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)'s IFS 2, Phase 2 Programme, funded within its Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.
In previous Industrial Fuel Switching (IFS) Round 1, Phase 3 projects, Glass Futures demonstrated the feasibility of a number of biofuels such as for use in glass furnaces.
It also identified fuels that emit circa 80% less Scope 1 CO2 than traditional natural gas.
However, these fuels were found to be typically 2-3 times more expensive than natural gas and therefore, economically unattractive.
In March of this year, trials on Glass Futures combustion test bed facility provided valuable insights into the combustion properties of biofuel oil, alongside other biofuels, and the confidence to progress a selection of these fuels for trials on commercial glass furnaces and ceramics kilns.
Habib Khosroshahi, Project Team Manager and Programme Lead for IFS, said: “Having demonstrated the capability of these biofuels at our facility earlier this year, we are excited to progress this technology to industrial-scale trials, working alongside our members to truly test their suitability for commercial implementation, towards a lower-carbon future for the glass and foundation industries.”
The project brings together partners from the glass and ceramics industries.
Partners include glass manufacturers such as Ardagh Glass Packaging, Encirc, NSG Group and O-I, as well as UK refractories manufacturer DSF Refractories & Minerals.
* Glass Futures will continue to find solutions for decarbonising energy intensive industries thanks to £7m funding and £11m for its members from DESNZ. Future trials include rapid and dynamic electric boosting of glass furnaces and demonstrating hydrogen in the ceramics sector.
** Europe's first carbon capture trial on a mainstream flat glass manufacturing plant forms part of C-Captures national project, ‘XLR8 CCS - Accelerating the Deployment of a Low-Cost Carbon Capture Solution for Hard-to-Abate Industries'. The project aims to demonstrate that a low-cost carbon capture solution is a reality for difficult-to-decarbonise industries in the race to net zero.
