ACCIONA Energía and Vidrala reuse biomass slag to produce glass bottles

• In total, the companies have reused 230 tons of biomass slag

ACCIONA Energía and Vidrala, a leading company in the design and manufacture of glass containers, have carried out an innovative pilot project to reuse biomass slag in the construction of 18.3 million glass bottles.

In total, the companies have reused 230 tons of biomass slag –a common term to refer to ashes, slag and dust– generated during the combustion process to produce renewable electricity at the Briviesca biomass plant in Burgos.

Biomass slags have a high content of silica, one of the most widely used materials for the manufacture of glass. Thus, the use of biomass slag has made it possible to reduce the amount of silica sand used, as well as to replace part of the sodium carbonate, a compound traditionally used to reduce the melting point of the glass mixture, facilitating its manufacturing process and reducing its environmental footprint. To this end, numerous research tests have been carried out on the treatment of the slag, which have made it possible to maintain the strength and durability characteristics of conventional bottles. The slag treatment was carried out in Asturias, and the bottles were manufactured in the Basque Country, at Vidrala’s Aiala Vidrio factory in Llodio, Vizcaya.

The reuse of biomass slag contributes to the goal of ACCIONA Energía to provide a second life to the waste and by-products derived from its activity, while promoting circular economy and reducing CO₂ emissions from the construction process in an outstanding example of industrial symbiosis among its businesses. All ACCIONA Energía’s biomass plants have the Bureau Veritas certification "Zero Waste Management (Minimization of waste to landfill)", which promotes committed and appropriate management of waste to avoid landfill, using it as a resource.

Meanwhile, this project boosts Vidrala’s position as a leader in industrial sustainability, while promoting innovation and the circular economy