Engineers from the University of Pennsylvania, in their search for solutions to reduce emissions during glass production, have managed to develop a new material. What distinguishes it from classic sodium-calcium-silicate glass is the replacement of two key components. Instead of soda ash and limestone, either aluminium oxide or iron compounds are used.
Calcined soda and limestone need to be melted together with silica sand to produce glass, but their melting produces a lot of CO2. Also, to achieve melting of the basic components, a temperature of 1500 °C is required, which means high energy consumption, the generation of which also generates emissions into the atmosphere. The new compound only needs to be heated to a temperature 300-400 °C lower, which reduces energy consumption and emissions by a third.
