Cardinal Glass to Deploy World's First Carbon Capture System at Float Glass Plant

Cardinal Glass Industries has committed to installing what it describes as the world's first carbon capture system at a float glass manufacturing facility, choosing its Cardinal FG plant in Winlock, Washington, as the launch site.

The system is designed to capture approximately 130,000 metric tons of CO2 per year, removing up to 95% of CO2 from targeted process streams in the plant's high-temperature glass-melting operations.

>> In Other News: GAO Report Flags Delays, Oversight Gaps In 45Q Carbon Capture Tax Credit

Feasibility Complete, Equipment Orders Underway

Cardinal has finished the feasibility, design, and engineering phases of the project and has already issued purchase orders and paid deposits on long-lead equipment. System operations at Winlock are targeted for the first quarter of 2029.

The project is privately funded. Cardinal is currently evaluating future commercial markets for the captured biogenic CO2.

An Italian Engineering Partnership

Cardinal developed the system alongside K2-CO2, a Padova, Italy-based carbon capture technology provider. The two companies have also patented a system to recover and use additional gases from the furnace flue stream, adding a secondary utilization pathway to the project.

Float glass production runs continuously at temperatures near 2,900°F, which makes retrofitting capture equipment onto the process more technically demanding than in batch manufacturing. Cardinal and K2-CO2 adapted existing absorption technology and added specialized monitoring instruments to track capture rates in real time.

Lower Embodied Carbon for Builders and Architects

Once operational, the Winlock system is expected to reduce the embodied carbon of Cardinal's glass products, giving architects and developers a lower-carbon option as green building codes tighten across North America.

Kelly Busch, President of Cardinal FG, framed the milestone as a continuation of the company's engineering approach to sustainability:

"Cardinal has always approached environmental performance as an engineering discipline, not simply as an aspiration."

Bowie Neumayer, President of Cardinal Glass Industries, described the Winlock installation as the opening phase of a longer-term strategy across the company's manufacturing footprint:

"This is not a one-time announcement, it is part of a broader roadmap."

Cardinal says it plans to use performance data from Winlock to evaluate expanding carbon capture to additional float glass lines over time, and will update its Environmental Product Declarations as the process is validated.

About Cardinal Glass Industries

Cardinal Glass Industries is a private, employee-owned manufacturer founded in 1977, operating dozens of facilities across the United States and producing float glass, coated glass, insulating glass, laminated glass, and tempered glass products for the window and door industry.

About K2-CO2

K2-CO2 is an Italian carbon capture technology company based in Padova, specializing in CO2 capture, storage, and utilization systems for hard-to-abate industrial sectors, including glass manufacturing, drawing on decades of experience in emission control and heat recovery.