Live video technology was employed for the GlassTrend spring seminar on 27-28 May that focused on how innovative raw materials and processing technologies can help the glass industry progress towards a more sustainable manufacturing process.

The seminar, originally due to take place last March in Mol, Belgium before being reorganised due to the Covid-19 pandemic, attracted 160 participants from some 50 international companies, making it the largest GlassTrend event since the organisation was established in 2001.

AnneJans Faber, Chair of GlassTrend and Senior Scientist at CelSian Glass & Solar, welcomed participants and emphasised the importance of the theme: “High quality raw materials are a prerequisite for a good quality glass and of course, the selection of materials has a big impact on the energy use and emissions of the glass manufacturing process. Glass recycling will become more and more important for the circular economy and the sustainable industry.” 

Moderated by AnneJans Faber and Oscar Verheijen, a member of the GlassTrend advisory board and Business Development Manager for Glass Production at CelSian, (both pictured), the programme was staged in two sessions:

Innovative raw materials:

• Hans van Limpt, Sibelco: ‘Redesigned, future-proof glass batch formulations’. 
• Matthias Rohmann, Lhoist: ‘The use of calcined limestone and dolomite products for CO2 reduction in glass melting processes’.
• Allen Zheng, US Borax: ‘The value in use that various anhydrous boron compounds bring over hydrous compounds in glass application’.
• Robert Ireson, Glass Futures/GTS: ‘Developing biomass-ash derived raw materials to reduce the environmental impact of the glass sector’.
• Mathi Rongen, CelSian: ‘Accurate energy demand measurements of industrial glass batches with new raw materials’.

Glass recycling and the circular economy:

• Andrea Perla, AB InBev: ‘Glass and circular packaging at AB InBev’.
• Thilo Becker, RWTH Aachen University: ‘An overview of glass fibre recycling’.
• Cor Wittekoek, Vlakglas Recycling Nederland: ‘Collecting and recycling of flat glass, a step forward to a circular economy’.
• Hans Hilkes, Ardagh: ‘Ardagh approach on cullet’.
• Philipp Zippe, ZIPPE: ‘Batch and cullet preheating- a comeback?’.

“I would like to thank all speakers and all participants of this seminar; it was one of the most interactive seminars we have held to date” AnneJans Faber concluded. “In the last presentation from Philipp Zippe, he asked the most important question: ‘Can the glass industry change from cost-driven to environmentally-driven?’. That’s a very important question, which we should discuss more and more in the future.” 

Mr Faber revealed plans for a future series of GlassTrend webinars to feature ‘visionary speakers with inspiring ideas’.

With Glass Worldwide as preferred journal, GlassTrend is a consortium of worldwide operating industries and institutes working in the field of glass and glass production. The association aims to co-ordinate research and development activities to improve the competitive strength of glass industries, their suppliers and customers.

www.glasstrend.nl