Carbon capture project aims to start decarbonising glass manufacture

A unique and energy efficient carbon capture process could play an important part in the ‘decarbonisation’ of glass manufacturing, its developers have said.

Leeds firm C-Capture will assess the compatibility of its technology at Lancashire-headquartered glass manufacturer Pilkington, after receiving funding from Innovate UK’s Sustainable Innovation Fund. The experiments will be “an important step forward in decarbonising glass manufacture,” C-Capture said.

The company aims to develop the world’s most energy efficient processes for capturing carbon dioxide. It has patented a unique low-cost technology which uses up to 40% less energy than current commercially available options.

The technology uses a new class of capture solvents that are amine- and nitrogen-free, are not classified as hazardous, are inexpensive, and could reportedly be manufactured on a large scale from biological sources. 

Emissions from the glass manufacturing industry have traditionally posed technological challenges as they contain high levels of impurities. During the project, C-Capture aims to build on existing data and expose the solvent to representative flue gases found during the glass manufacturing process, as the next step to prove the applicability of its technology to capturing CO₂ from heavy industrial waste gases.

“C-Capture’s project to demonstrate carbon capture capabilities for glass manufacturing alongside Pilkington, along with every initiative Innovate UK has supported through this fund, is an important step forward in driving sustainable economic development,” said Dr Ian Campbell, Innovate UK executive chairman.

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