Resumen de Glass: a fragile industry?
For flat glass, the float process is administered, while for containers, glass blowing is performed. Float glass has a higher magnesium oxide and sodium oxide content compared with container glass, and lower silica, calcium oxide and aluminium oxide content. This means that the quality of container glass is higher, mainly due to the fact that it is required to be safe for use as homeware receptacles (for chemical durability against water).
Industrial sand and gravel, often called silica, silica sand or quartz sand, includes sands and gravels with high silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) content. Silica is the major ingredient in virtually all types of glass including containers, flat glass, lighting glass, tableware, TV tubes and screens, decorative glass, fibreglass, optical glass and vacuum flasks. The commercial uses of glass (containers, windows, vehicle glazing) contain between 70 - 74% silica, the ultimate source of which is silica sand.
[Feve] agreed with this statement, telling IM: "The container glass industry produces some 20m tpa glass. In terms of tonnage, the biggest markets for the container glass industry is the beverage sector. Beer, spirits and wines account for the largest share. Overall, glass packaging represents one-third of the European beverage market in units."
