How glass processing technology has changed from USSR times to the present day

We tell you why it is very important to hand over cans and bottles to collection points.

Glass is a record-breaking material for not even decomposition, but disintegration. Under natural conditions, this process takes more than 1 thousand years. Recycling experts and specialists from the Russian Ecological Operator explain that this serious environmental problem can be solved through recycling without losing the quality of the raw materials.

In the case of glass, damage to the environment can be minimized - you just need to start sorting the waste and throwing the glass into special containers for recyclables (most often they are blue), or even better, hand it over to collection points. Unnecessary containers will get a new life, since glass recycling, unlike some other waste, is already very developed in Russia. We tell you how the processing and disposal of glass waste works in our country.

Soviet experience

According to Stanislav Chesnokov, head of the department of standardization and testing at the Institute of Glass, the fact that glass can be melted has been known since ancient times. Already the first reports of ancient Roman authors on glass melting technologies mentioned the addition of cullet to the raw material.

“If we talk about the history of industry in Russia, the first glass factories in Russia appeared in the 17th century, but the first mentions of collecting cullet date back to the 19th century. Specialized glass processing enterprises arose at the beginning of the 20th century,” says Chesnokov.

Later, already in the USSR, it was less about recycling and more about reusing glass containers. That is, it was not melted down - it was necessarily washed at home and taken to special collection points, and then in production the glass was washed with special solutions in several stages.

When purchasing food or other raw materials in glass bottles, you could recycle old used empty bottles. In this case, when calculating the purchase price, the deposit value of the returned containers was deducted.

Now this practice is no longer used. According to Anton Mora, general director of the Siberian Glass company, a return to the Soviet experience is now impossible for several reasons.

“To differentiate their products on store shelves and protect them from counterfeits, beverage manufacturers order unique glass packaging designs for each brand. How and where will the sorting of used bottles be organized? After all, companies don’t need other people’s bottles. In addition, they would have to purchase equipment for washing and disinfecting such containers, which requires additional investment. Moreover, this is pointless, because it has chips and other defects, and bottling is now going on at high speeds, and the line can stop if a substandard bottle is fed to it,” explains More.

This is why recycling glass containers is a much more efficient and cost-effective way to manage glass waste.

How is glass recycled now?

At first glance, glass recycling is not a very complicated process from a technological point of view. According to Stanislav Chesnokov, it consists of several stages: collection, sorting, crushing, melting.

“Glass processing does not require sophisticated equipment or highly qualified personnel, if you do not consider the issues of cleaning cullet from impurities and enriching it to produce high-quality products,” notes Chesnokov.

One of the stages of glass sorting is separation by color into transparent, brown and green. This is necessary because mixed raw materials are the cheapest and can be used to create a limited number of products.

The next stage is the purification of raw materials. As Anton Mor notes, the share of foreign inclusions during the cleaning of glass waste at the Sibirsky Steklo enterprise reaches 8%. They include plastic and metal elements, corks, organic matter and some other types of waste.

The process of cleaning from foreign inclusions significantly improves the characteristics of the recycled resource and protects the recycling process from additional problems. For example, metal entering the pool of a glass furnace settles at the bottom, which can shorten its service life due to corrosion of the refractory masonry.

After cleaning, the glass is sent for crushing, turning into fine crumbs at this stage. At the same time, special devices clean the raw materials from glass dust that is formed during the crushing process. Already crushed glass is washed, dried, mixed with soda ash, sand and limestone, and then sent for remelting.

Does glass have an expiration date?

Another important question that reasonably arises is whether glass has an expiration date and how many recycling cycles it can go through.

Denis Butsaev, General Director of the Russian Ecological Operator, notes that one of the most significant characteristics of glass is the possibility of repeated recycling without loss of quality, reliability and safety. That is, the material can be recycled an unlimited number of times. But it is important to take into account one significant nuance - losses during the processing process, which need to be reduced.

“The total loss of glass at all stages, from collection to optical sorting, can exceed 30% of the total volume. Firstly, glass is a fragile material; it generates dust and forms a fine fraction that cannot be further cleaned or used. Secondly, the mass of the resulting cullet is reduced compared to the original amount due to the presence of caps, labels and other impurities - the material remains on the packaging elements in the form of broken glass or simply contaminated fragments,” says Butsaev.

According to him, there are currently three ways to reduce material loss. The first is to prevent glass contamination. To do this, when collected, it should come into less contact with other waste. The problem is being solved through the introduction of various systems for separate waste accumulation. The second is the separation of flows by sorting glass waste by type and color and, most importantly, by rejecting interfering fractions and contaminants (other glass, metals, plastic, etc.). Finally, the third is compliance with optimal glass recycling conditions.

“For example, you can reduce the amount of dust by using equipment with a gentle crushing mode and installing dust collection systems,” sums up Butsaev.

What is made from recycled glass?

Glass waste is primarily recycled into new bottles and jars. Usually, raw materials are used for this, which are obtained directly from manufacturers, due to defects.

Glass can also become a building material: glass wool, fiberglass, fine-grained concrete, glass tiles, foam decor, etc.

In addition, recycled glass is actively used in road construction. For example, for good visibility of markings at night, including during rain, microglass beads are used. Thanks to them, the light from the headlights is reflected from the asphalt. And if the usual horizontal markings are not visible at night without powerful street lighting, then the presence of microglass beads on its surface ensures its visibility.

The state of the glass processing industry in Russia

According to the Russian Environmental Operator, about 5 million tons of glass waste are generated annually in our country, but the processing capacity is only sufficient for 18.3% of the total volume, that is, only 915 thousand tons.

According to Eduard Taran, president of RATM Holding, which also includes Siberian Glass, today our country has the necessary recycling capacity, but the capabilities of glass factories have not been fully realized.

“Unfortunately, not everyone is ready to invest in glass waste processing. However, in the first quarter of 2023, the first stage of a technological complex for processing glass waste was put into operation at Siberian Glass, with a capacity of 60 thousand tons of recyclable materials per year, and several more lines will be launched this year,” says Taran.

According to Stanislav Chesnokov, the current state of the industry can be characterized as developing, as new technologies are being introduced: sorting is being automated, new melting methods are appearing. At the same time, the market is expanding: the demand for recycled glass is increasing, and additional government measures are being introduced to support the industry.

“According to our information, there are now more than 40 enterprises throughout the country, with a total capacity of about 2 million tons per year. According to some reports, the level of selection for recycling is up to 50% of all glass,” notes Chesnokov.

Eduard Taran emphasizes that the environmental and commercial feasibility of involving end-of-life glass into industrial circulation for the manufacture of new glass products correlates with the principles of a circular economy.

Stanislav Chesnokov also agrees with him, who explains that at this stage in glass production, part of the primary raw materials, which includes sand, soda, limestone, is replaced by cheaper cullet. Such substitution also leads to resource savings during the glass manufacturing process itself.

“There are significant energy savings - up to 30%. Also, for waste glass of almost any quality, you can select an economically in demand recycling product: foam glass, glass-ceramic and mosaic tiles,” says Chesnokov.

According to Anton Mohr, every 10% of cullet whose melting point is lower than that of sand, soda and dolomite reduces energy consumption by 3%. However, the matter is not limited to just the energy-saving effect.

“As a result, the service life of glass melting furnaces increases from 7-10 to 12-15 years - this is about economic benefits. In addition, the plant reduces industrial emissions into the environment,” explains the expert.

An equally important environmental effect of glass waste recycling is reducing its amount in landfills. To do this, it is necessary to properly dispose of glass containers. For example, collection points for bottles and glass products can be found in the “Uber” application.

General Director of the Russian Ecological Operator Denis Butsaev believes that the solution to this problem also depends on environmental awareness and individual responsibility of each individual person.

“Glass products are used in various areas of life, just estimate how much glass waste you generate per week, per month and per year,” says Denis Butsaev. “It’s a disaster that these objects, which are of considerable size and take up a lot of space, end up in landfills and are doomed to decay for centuries, when they could endlessly serve people. Even worse are unauthorized landfills, broken bottles in parks - the fragments are dangerous for both people and animals. Infrastructure in Russia is actively developing. But I want our citizens to understand this too. Recycle your glass waste and save the environment!”

Source: https://www.rbc.ru/