Ardagh Glass Packaging-Europe has completed an industrial fuel switching trial at its production facility in Knottingley, UK, which saw natural gas replaced with biofuel in the glass manufacturing process.
The £6 million trial, which was funded by the UK Government’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio programme and led by Glass Futures, examined the feasibility of using alternative liquid bio-derived fuels in the glass melting process, with a view to replacing natural gas with lower-carbon biofuels in the future.
Over a seven-day period, Ardagh Glass Packaging-Europe (AGP-Europe), part of Ardagh Group, produced 4.1 million glass containers by replacing 100% of natural gas with liquid bio-derived fuels, in the process reducing CO2 emissions by 242 tonnes.
‘The trial demonstrated that lower-carbon glass packaging can be produced at commercial scale without compromising glass quality or process efficiency,’ the company said.
‘An exciting development’
Commenting on the trial, Dean Butler, business development director, Ardagh Group, said, “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 to meet its ambitious sustainability goals.”
Potential of biofuels
According to AGP-Europe, the trial highlights the potential of biofuels as a route to decarbonisation of the glass manufacturing industry. The company said that it is actively exploring additional technologies to meet its CO2 reduction targets for 2030, as well as contribute to a low-carbon future for the industry.
Several manufacturers in both the glass and ceramics sectors, including AGP-Europe, Encirc, O-I Glass, Pilkington UK and DSF Refractories & Minerals, were involved in the trial. Read more here.
