Читать книгу Encyclopedia of Glass Science, Technology, History, and Culture - Группа авторов - Страница 68
5 Perspectives
ОглавлениеMore than 100 million tons of glass (container, flat, fiber, and specialty) are produced yearly. In a society moving toward a CO2‐less or ‐free economy, extra‐clear glasses will play a key role for the development of an efficient solar energy market. As the availability of extra‐pure raw materials is not infinite [16], however, beneficiation techniques will need to be improved in order to meet cost‐efficient requirements adapted to the forthcoming societal challenges. In terms of both volumes and quality, middle‐ and long‐term availability of raw materials is a major challenge for sustainable, cost‐related production. But a successful low‐carbon society implies the fast development of infrastructures and commodity products, which contribute to the overall industrial minerals’ demand in direct competition with the glass raw materials supply chain [16]. Governmental initiatives, such as the European Union ERA‐MIN Program [21] and the EIT Raw Materials, intend to build an EU‐wide network linking industry, academia, and research institutes capable of sustaining the domestic supply chain of non‐energy mineral resources. In parallel, efforts are made to improve batch recipes through either the use of standard raw materials with lower energy consumption [22], or totally new ways exploiting the huge potential of the recycling supply chain. Food and agriculture wastes, for instance, could allow making glass with “exotic” sources such as eggshells for Ca‐carbonate, banana peels as K‐carrier, or rice husk for silica [23]. Major changes are likely on the way.