LightNOW has recently covered advances in green aluminum, copper, and textiles. There has now been a large advancement in creating more environmentally friendly glass.

Researchers at Penn State University have created what they’re calling LionGlass, a new type of glass that cuts the carbon footprint in half and increases the strength by ten fold. LionGlass cuts the carbon footprint in two ways: 1. It removes carbon containing ingredients that emit CO₂ when heated, and 2. Significantly lowers the melting point of the new glass, requiring significantly less energy to make.

Soda lime silicate glass, the most commonly-used glass is made by melting three primary materials: quartz sand, soda ash and limestone. Soda ash is sodium carbonate, and limestone is calcium carbonate, both of which release carbon dioxide (CO₂), as they are melted. The bulk of the CO₂ emissions come from the energy required to heat furnaces to the high temperatures needed for melting glass. With LionGlass, the melting temperatures are lowered by about 300 to 400 degrees Celsius.

Read the full story here.

Image: LionGlass sample. Adrienne Berard, Penn State University.

David Shiller

David Shiller is the Publisher of LightNOW, and President of Lighting Solution Development, a North American consulting firm providing business development services to advanced lighting manufacturers. The ALA awarded David the Pillar of the Industry Award. David has co-chaired ALA’s Engineering Committee since 2010. David established MaxLite’s OEM component sales into a multi-million dollar division. He invented GU24 lamps while leading ENERGY STAR lighting programs for the US EPA. David has been published in leading lighting publications, including LD+A, enLIGHTenment Magazine, LEDs Magazine, and more.

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