Israel’s Only Glass Company will Use its Own CO2 Emissions for Raw Materials
2 min read
On Monday, Airovation Technologies announced that a Memorandum of Understanding had been signed with Phoenicia, which is the only glass manufacturer in Israel.
This entails that the glass maker will install technology that will use the plant’s own carbon dioxide emissions and transform them into minerals that serve as raw materials in the glass making process.
Sodium carbonate
Airovation Technologies had been conducting research for more than a decade at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
This helped it in finding a way to capture sodium carbonate when it is emitted from carbon dioxide. Also called soda ash, this is considered a key ingredient in the glass making process.
A patented chemical invention is used for extracting it from carbon dioxide, which uses the most powerful oxidizer that currently exists in nature, known as Superoxide Radical.
The company is also working on extracting other minerals from carbon dioxide that can be used in other industries, including animal feed, food and fertilizer.
Phoenicia is based in Yeruham in the south and the MOU signed with it will have a scale-up process comprising of two phases that will lead to the first unit that will be fully commercial.
The benefits
It would be immensely helpful in reducing the global warming carbon emissions of the company, reduce its dependence on imports of soda ash and also result in a circular economy.
The COO and co-founder of Airovation said that partnering with the only glass maker in Israel had helped them put their technology to good use and also revolutionize the glass industry.
The chief executive of Phoenicia, Michel Ben Simon said that the company was pleased to work with an Israeli startup and help them in executing this pilot.
The CEO also noted that Phoenicia was the only factory in the country that could recycle glass bottles in accordance with a national deposit law.
Other details
Ben Simon also said that the company had built a natural gas power plant that would begin working in the next two months.
He also said that a decade ago, Phoenicia had installed a facility that could eliminate emissions of nitrogen oxides and other particulate matter that can cause pollution.
Airovation Technologies had also announced another MOU in October with Kolon Industries Inc., which is based in Korea.
This is a textile and chemical manufacturing company and the two are going to collaborate for carbon capture in a scale-up process that is spread across three phases.
The COP27 climate conference of the United Nations is scheduled to begin on November 6th in Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt and Airovation Technologies is scheduled to make an appearance at Israel’s main business event.
The event is scheduled for November 8th and the company will focus on climate technologies. A lot of organizations and ministries are partnering up for the event.
The purpose is to present solutions from Israel in a variety of fields, which include water, energy, food-tech, agriculture and scarcity.
