Briquetting of recycled glass fines for energy and CO2 reduction in the glass industry

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The glass industry is synonymous with inefficient energy consumption, resulting in high energy costs andcarbon emissions. The global glass manufacturing sector uses 140 - 220 TWh of energy and emits 50-60 MT ofCO2 p/a, which is set to escalate YoY, with a forecast market growth rate p/a of 7.2%. Glass melting processesaccount for 75% of the industry's energy consumption, with the average melting furnace operating at only 55%efficiency. In the UK alone the energy costs for the glass industry equate to circa £72.5m p/a, and inefficient,sub-optimal melting processes result in unnecessary CO2 emissions of 150,000T. A key contributor to theproblem is the availability of the supply of cullet - recycled glass, which, when re-introduced into the meltingprocess, can significantly reduce the melting energy of glass making raw materials. This project will test thefeasibility of a new briquetting technology that will secure the long term supply of cullet by converting wastecullet fines (20% of the total supply) into valuable raw material that can be introduced into the glass meltingprocess, and subsequently reduce energy consumption, costs and CO2 emissions by 4-8%.