If you were to ask a group of glazing specialists what the two biggest challenges are for the glass world, quite a few would answer durability and environmental impact.

Most structural glass is incredibly durable and we have had glass composites that are stronger 

than steel for over a decade at this point, with some glass technologies even stronger than this.

However, there is always a greater push for stronger glass, because the stronger glass is, the thinner panes of it can be made.

This in turn can make it more environmentally friendly, partly through using fewer resources and partly through making it much easier to transport.

However, there are two missing pieces of the eco-friendly puzzle, in the form of heat and the need for soda ash.

Soda lime silicate, more commonly known as soda ash, is a core component of glass production, but when heated with quartz sand it releases carbon dioxide as an inherent byproduct, which alongside concrete makes glass production somewhat polluting.

As well as this, heating the various ingredients to make glass requires exceptionally high temperatures, which in turn requires a lot of energy.

According to Penn State University, at least 86m tonnes of carbon dioxide are produced by worldwide glass production.

Enter LionGlass, a soda ash-less structural glass that its creators claim produces just half the carbon dioxide compared to conventional soda ash silicate glass, in no small part because it can be produced at much lower temperatures.

The melting temperature for LionGlass is between 300 and 400 degrees Celsius lower than is standard, with ten times the level of glass resistance.

Exactly how strong it is has not been ascertained as somewhat amusingly PSU do not have testing equipment strong enough to crack it, making it a potential game changer for windows, windscreens and tableware. It can also be produced in standard glassmaking factories.

However, one weakness it does have is that it cannot be used to create touchscreens nor smart devices, as the lower temperatures and thermal tolerances can cause the screen’s pixels to become misaligned.