Glass Futures advances low‑carbon fuel trials to accelerate glass industry’s net zero journey

Glass Futures has reported a major step forward in efforts to decarbonise high‑temperature manufacturing after completing a series of pilot trials that tested biofuels, electric boosting and hydrogen on its 30 tonnes‑per‑day line in St Helens, UK. The multi‑pathway campaign, which Glass Futures says began in October 2025, has, the organisation adds, proven the technical feasibility of several low‑carbon fuel routes at a scale close to industrial operation.

According to Glass Futures, engineers installed a bespoke system to deliver waste‑derived liquid biofuels and successfully fired four novel, low‑cost fuels for sustained periods. The organisation also commissioned a custom electric‑boost (e‑boost) system integrated with site control systems and exercised it across a broad range of power settings, including rapid switching intended to demonstrate demand‑side response potential for local grids. A new hydrogen delivery capability was brought online too, enabling trials using hydrogen supplied by Ryze Power and blends with natural gas, including runs at 100 percent hydrogen.

Justin Kelly, CEO of Glass Futures, said, “The successful completion of these trial programmes marks a crucial milestone not just for Glass Futures, but for the industry’s journey to net zero. We have demonstrated, at industrial scale, the technical viability of a number of alternative low‑carbon fuel pathways that have never before been trialled in this way. It is a testament to the resilience, ingenuity and collaboration of the entire Glass Futures team.”

The pilot furnace itself has been progressing through a phased commissioning programme. Glass Futures reports the oxy‑fired pilot was first lit in mid‑2025 and has since entered extended continuous melting operation, work that set baseline performance metrics ahead of the low‑carbon campaigns. Industry participants point to prior industrial trials conducted in late 2024 and early 2025, in which several liquid biofuels were evaluated at production plants, as providing useful comparative data for the pilot activity.

Glass manufacturers and ancillary suppliers were directly involved. Barry King, Engineering Manager at Encirc, said, “Encirc is delighted to be part of Glass Futures’ groundbreaking trials in biofuels, electric and hydrogen technologies. Collaboration and innovation are at the heart of our decarbonisation journey, and working together on these pioneering projects brings us closer to finding viable alternatives to fossil fuels. By exploring new energy pathways side by side with industry partners, we’re helping to shape a more sustainable future for glass manufacturing and the communities we serve.”

The programme builds on public support for fuel‑switching research. Glass Futures notes its early Industrial Fuel Switching work received funding from the UK Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, and the organisation has since secured Innovate UK backing for the AI‑GLASS project under the Made Smarter Innovation Programme to collect operational data and validate advanced furnace models. Those digitalisation efforts are intended to underpin improved sensing and intelligent control systems that can drive further efficiency and emissions reductions.

Outside the pilot, manufacturer‑led trials have also produced encouraging results. Ardagh Group reported a successful biofuel trial at its Knottingley container plant, part of a wider government‑backed industrial fuel‑switching initiative that included several major glassmakers. According to Glass Futures and industry reports, trials have additionally involved electric‑boost installations at multiple facilities and hydrogen experiments in custom ceramics kilns, underscoring a sector‑wide push to diversify energy vectors.

Glass Futures cautions, however, that technical readiness and commercial adoption remain uneven across pathways. The organisation is collating trial data to assess how each option performs against product quality, operational reliability and integration with existing supply chains. Rob Ireson, Head of Innovation at Glass Futures, said, “These results show that waste‑derived biofuels, e‑boosting technologies, and other emerging solutions can all play a critical role in decarbonising high‑temperature sectors without compromising product quality or operational reliability. Now, we need coordinated action across supply chains, regulators, and energy providers to turn these technical successes into deployable solutions.”

Industry stakeholders and policymakers will face difficult trade‑offs as they move from demonstration to deployment. Biofuels offer a near‑term route that can often be retrofitted to existing burners but raise questions about sustainable feedstock availability and lifecycle emissions. Hydrogen promises deep emissions cuts when produced from low‑carbon sources, yet its cost, supply infrastructure and burner optimisation for glass applications are still evolving. Electric boosting can lower combustion demand and enable grid services, but widespread adoption will depend on power costs, grid capacity and plant electrification strategies.

Glass Futures says the next trial campaigns will explore next‑generation raw materials, process innovations and product trials for both flat and container glass, while members work through combinations of fuels and technologies best suited to their operations. The organisation frames the completed campaign as a catalyst for further research and investment to close remaining technical and commercial gaps and accelerate the sector’s transition to net zero.