KADUNA STATE UNIVERSITY

CHM 200 FIELD TRIP, 2020/2021

REPORT ON:

THE VISIT TO SUNGLASS LIMITED KADUNA OF HIGH QUALITY

GLASS CONTAINERS KADUNA

COMPILED BY:

IBRAHIM HADIZA

KASU/18/ICH/1003

Submitted to Department of Chemistry

Kaduna State University, for Partial Fulfilment of the Award of

B.sc Industrial Chemistry

MARCH, 2021……
 DECLARATION

I declare that the work in the dissertation entitled ‘FIELDTRIP’ a study

of Sunglass Limited Kaduna ‘ has been written by us in the Department of
Chemistry under the supervision of Malam Ahmad, HOD (Dr A.M Nuhu),
Malan Alhassan. The information derived from the literature has been
duly acknowledged in the text and list of references provided.

……………………. …………………… …………………….

Name of Student Signature Date
APPROVAL PAGE

Course coordinator …………………… ………………………..

Mallam Ahmad Sani Date

Head of Department ……………………………….. …………………………

Dr. A.M Nuhu Date

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to first of all express my profound gratitude to the Almighty Allah
for giving me the ability and patience to carry out this field trip successfully. I
actually thank the lord for the journey mercies granted to me to all the place I
went to in the course of conducting the field trip.

I owe a sincere gratitude to my supervisors Dr A.M Nuhu, Malan Ahmad

Sani and Malan Alhassan for meticulously supervising us through the entire
field trip. The field trip has brought improvement to our quality of study. This
appreciation can-not end without expressing my thanks to the staff of the
organization that took time to explain the use of the machineries used in
Sunglass Nigeria.

Finally, I thank Kaduna State University for taking us on this wonderful

field trip
 TABLE OF CONTENT

TITLE i
DECLARATION ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iii

INTRODUCTION

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 1–3

STANDARD ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE 4–5

CONCEPT (IMAGES) 5–6

SCOPE OF THE STUDY 7

CONCLUSION
REFERENCE
 CONCEPT
1.0. INTRODUCTION
1.1. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF SUNGLASS NIGERIA LIMITED

Sunglass Nigeria limited as one of the manufacturing organization in Kaduna was

incorporated as a limited liability company in the year 1992 to undertake the
business of producing glass containers. After incorporation the company bought
over the assets of the former Ballapur Glass limited which explains why sunglass is
occupying the premises vacated by the defunct Ballapur Glass.

Sunglass employs over 500 persons directly and many more indirectly. Source its
raw materials about 85% locally (Katsina, Kogi, Abuja, Borno, and Plateau) which
constitute Sand, Marble powder, Dolomite, feldspar, Barytes.

Sunglass Nigeria limited has started producing glass containers on the 15th of
November, 1995, to its consumers within and outside the state.  And it is doing
averagely in the industry.  Sunglass is equipped with high speed automotive
machines that produce up to 260,000 glass bottles daily.

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2.0. DEPARTMENT UNDER SUNGLASS INDUSTRY
1. GLASS DEPARTMENT
BATCH PROCESSING SYSTEM (BATCH HOUSE)

Batch processing is one of the initial steps of the glass-making process. The batch
house simply houses the raw materials in large silos (fed by truck or railcar) and
holds anywhere from 1–5 days of material. Some batch systems include material
processing such as raw material screening/sieve, drying, or pre-heating (i.e. cullet).
Whether automated or manual, the batch house measures, assembles, mixes, and
delivers the glass raw material recipe (batch) via an array of chutes, conveyors, and
scales to the furnace. The batch enters the furnace at the 'dog house' or 'batch
charger'. Different glass types, colors, desired quality, raw material purity /
availability, and furnace design will affect the batch recipe.

Fig 1: Batch feed doghouse of a glass furnace

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The batch is fed into the furnace at a slow, controlled rate by the batch processing
system. The furnaces are natural gas- or fuel oil-fired, and operate at temperatures
up to 1,575 °C (2,867 °F).[3] The temperature is limited only by the quality of the
furnace’s superstructure material and by the glass composition. Types of furnaces
used in container glass making include end-port (end-fired), side-port, and oxy-
fuel.

2. PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT

Fig 2: IS machine during bottle production.

The forming machines hold and move the parts that form the container. The
machine consists of 19 basic mechanisms in operation to form a bottle and
generally powered by compressed air (high pressure – 3.2 bar and low pressure –
2.8 bar), the mechanisms are electronically timed to coordinate all movements of
the mechanisms. The most widely used forming machine arrangement is the

8
individual section machine (or IS machine). This machine has a bank of 5–20
identical sections, each of which contains one complete set of mechanisms to make
containers. The sections are in a row, and the gobs feed into each section via a
moving chute, called the gob distributor. Sections make either one, two, three or
four containers simultaneously (referred to as single, double, triple and quad gob).
In the case of multiple gobs, the shears cut the gobs simultaneously, and they fall
into the blank moulds in parallel.

Forming machines are largely powered by compressed air and a typical glass
works will have several large compressors (totaling 30k–60k cfm) to provide the
necessary compressed air. Furnaces, compressors, and forming machines generate
large quantities of waste heat which are generally cooled by water. Hot glass which
is not used in the forming machine is diverted and this diverted glass (called cullet)
is generally cooled by water, and sometimes even processed and crushed in a water
bath arrangement. Often cooling requirements are shared over banks of cooling
towers arranged to allow for backup during maintenance.

3. QUALITY CONTROL DEPARTMENT

The Quality Control department is often referred to as the backbone of the
company. This is because it forms a strong interlocking connection with every
other department in the company. In Sunglass Industry, the Quality Control
department is divided into two subsections.
These sections are:
a) Chemical laboratory department.
b) Physical laboratory department.
These two sections are in charge of ensuring optimum product quality. They each
have their department representatives and are both headed by the Quality
Assurance Manager (QAM).
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CHEMICAL LABORATORY DEPARTMENT
The chemical laboratory department is a sub–division of the Quality Assurance
department. It is delegated with the following responsibilities;
1. Inspection of raw materials brought in from external sources.
2. Analysis of raw materials in use. Some of these analysis include:
i. Moisture content determination of in-use raw materials.
ii. Chemical content determination of in-use raw materials e.g. Iron, Alumina,
Silica, Calcium oxide (CaO), Magnesium Oxide (MgO), etc.
iii. Grain size distribution of raw materials in-use.
3. Analysis on glass products. These analysis include:
i. Colourtransmittance using a spectrophotometer.
ii. Applied colourlabel test.
iii. Glass density.
4. Density determination of fuel sources at the point of entrance into the
company.
5. Monitoring and treatment of water used in the company. There are seven
different water samples analysedeach day. These include: raw, process
treated, compressorcooling, shear spray, forming drinking, canteen treated,
and effluent treated water. The hardness and PH of these various water
samples are monitored each day and treated when necessary to ensure proper
dissolution and mixing of the raw materials.

4. APPLIED CERAMIC LABEL DEPARTMENT

After the glass bottles have been thoroughly inspected the 35cl ultra sprite bottles
are then sent off to the printing floor where colored labels are applied on their
bodies. This is screen printing of the decoration onto the container with a vitreous
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enamel paint, which is then baked on. This is done by the printing laboratory. After
the labels have been printed, samples of the 35cl ultra sprite bottles are then taken
to the chemical lab oratory where they are made to undergo applied ceramic label
(ACL) test to check if the bottle labels will fade. This test involves cutting out the
bottle part containing the colored label and putting it into a caustic solution for a
set period of time. If these samples fade, the printing house is notified and they
check the batch of colored paint being used. After this process, the glass bottles are
then conveyed to be polished along with the other glass bottles.

5. PACKAGING DEPARTMENT
The glass products are now ready to be packaged and distributed to their respective
bottling companies. Packaging methods will vary from factory to factory
depending on the specific type of bottle and the size of the production run. At
Sunglass ltd., the packaging methods vary depending on the bottle type. Forklifts
carry the glass bottles on a crate to the shrinking machine where it is covered with
a polyethylene which is then shrunk to prevent dust and foreign objects from
encasing it. They are then arranged in the warehouse awaiting delivery to their
respective bottling companies.

6. MARKETING AND SELLING DEPARTMENT

Glass container manufacture in the developed world is a mature market business.
Glass container manufacture is also a geographical business; the product is heavy
and large in volume, and the major raw materials (sand, soda ash and limestone)
are generally readily available. Therefore production facilities need to be located
close to their markets. Despite its positioning as a mature market product, glass
does enjoy a high level of consumer acceptance and is perceived as a "premium"
quality packaging format.
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2.1. RAW MATERIALS FOR GLASS CONTAINER MANUFACTURE
MAJOR MATERIALS
Glass bottles are manufactured by more than a dozen raw materials like quartz
powder, limestone, sodium carbonate, dolomite, feldspar, boric acid, sodium
sulfate, barium sulfate, zinc oxide, potassium carbonate and cullet. Glass bottle is a
container which will through 1600-degree heat to melt and shaping. Glass bottle
can be produced in different shapes depending on different mold. Since hot
forming, it is non-toxic and tasteless and it is main container of food, medicine
drug and chemical industry. Here are introduction of some main raw material of
glass bottles:

1. Quartz powder
It is a hard, wear-resistant, chemical stability of minerals, the main mineral
component is quartz, main chemical ingredient is SiO2. Quartz powder is milk
white or colorless translucent, hardness is 7, brittle, no cleavage, conchoidal
fracture, oil sheen, density of 2.65, doesn’t dissolve in acid.
Main usages
filter material, high grade glass, glass product, refractory, smelting stone, precision
casting, sand blasting, grinding wheels materials, etc.
2. Limestone
Calcium carbonate is the main component of limestone. Limestone is the main raw
material of glass. Lime and limestone mass used as building materials, they are
important raw material in many industries. Calcium carbonate can be directly
processed into stone and fired into quicklime.
3. Sodium carbonate

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It is one of the important chemical raw materials, widely used in light industry,
building materials, chemical industry, food industry, metallurgy, textiles,
petroleum, national defense, medicine, etc. It is used as the raw materials, cleaning
agents, detergents in the manufacturing of other chemicals, but also the field of
photography and analysis.
4. Dolomite
It can be used as reformer refractory inner layer in steelmaking, slagging
constituent, raw material of cement, fusing agent of glass, ceramic, fertilizer,
building and decorative stone, paint, pesticide, medical, etc. It can be used in
building material, ceramic, glass and refractory material, chemical industry and
agriculture, environmental protection, energy saving fields.
 5. Feldspar
One common aluminosilicate rock-forming mineral which contains calcium,
sodium and potassium. There are 60% of feldspar in the crust, it occur in igneous,
metamorphic, sedimentary rocks.
Main usages
The manufacture of ceramic and porcelain enamel, raw materials of glass,
abrasive, etc. It also can be used to produce potash fertilizer.
6. Boric acid
Soluble in water, alcohol, glycerin, ether and essential oil. Aqueous solution
presents weak acid. Mass used in glass (optical glass, acid-resistant glass, heat-
resistant glass, glass fiber used in insulation) industry, boric acid can improve glass
products’ heat-resistant, transparent performance, and mechanical strength, it also
can shorten the melt time.
7. Sodium sulfate
The main composed of sodium sulfate is Na2SO4 that a raw material imports from
Na2O. Mainly used to remove SiO2 scum, play the role of a clarifying agent
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8. Barium sulfate
Odorless, tasteless and colorless orthorhombic crystals or a white amorphous
powder, property stable, insoluble in water, acids, alkali or organic solvents. It can
be used as raw material or filler of paint, ink, plastics, rubber and battery materials
in industry. In glass products it used as a clarifying agent, can play the role of anti-
foaming and increasing gloss. It also used in ceramics, enamel, spices and
pigments industries. It is the raw material for producing other barium salts.
 9. Zinc oxide
Zinc oxide ZnO can increase chemical stability of sodium - calcium silicon glass
and reduce its tendency to crystallize.
10. Potassium carbonate
Used in glass, printing and dyeing, soap, enamel, preparing sylvite, synthesis
ammonia decarboxylation, color TV industry, in food as a leavening agent,
adsorbents for gas, powder extinguishing agent, rubber antioxidant, etc.
11. Cullet
Most manufacturing process using 20% -30% of the cullet to facilitate melting
and optimum mixing with quartz sand, feldspar and alkali, but also can improve
the utilization of recycled glass, for saving energy and enhance environmental
protection.

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RAW MATERIALS AND THEIR VARIOUS SOURCES

RAW MATERIAL SOURCE

Coal (Pulverized) Enugu, Kogi
Cullet In-house, Kaduna, Kogi, Ogun, Sokoto
Dolomite Edo, Kogi, Ogun
Feldspar Borno, Ekiti, Kaduna, Ogun
Iron chromite Imported: South Africa
Iron oxide Itape
Limestone Ogun, Oyo, Edo, Kogi
Sand Owode, Ilaro, Afo
Soda ash Imported: China, Romania,Turkey
Sodium sulphate Imported: Germany

Silican sand Kastina

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Fig 3 Fig 4 Fig 5

Fig 6 Fig 7 Fig 8

Fig 9 Fig
Fig11
10

16
Fig 12 Fig 13
Image showing raw materials for glass bottle manufacture
NOTE.
The purer the silica sand is, the lower its iron content will be, which in turn means
more control over the ultimate color.
Glass that has virtually no color is called colorless glass. Colorless is the preferred
term instead of the word clear. Clear refers to a different value: the transparency of
the glass and not its color. The proper use of the word clear would be in the phrase
“clear green bottle.”
Aquamarine colored glass is a natural result of the both the naturally occurring
iron found in most sands, or through the addition of iron to the mix. By reducing or
increasing the amount of oxygen in the flame used to melt the sand, manufacturers
can produce a more bluish-green color or a greener color.

Opaque white glass is commonly called milk glass and sometimes called Opal or
white glass. It can be produced by the addition of tin, zinc oxide, fluorides,
phosphates or calcium.

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Green glass can be made through the addition of iron, chromium, and copper.
Chromium oxide will produce yellowish green to emerald green. Combinations of
cobalt, (blue) mixed with chromium (green) will produce a blue green glass.

Amber glass is produced from the natural impurities in sand, such as iron and
manganese. Additives that make Amber include nickel, sulfur, and carbon.

Blue glass is colored with ingredients like cobalt oxide and copper.

Purple, amethyst and red are glass colors that are usually from the use of nickel
or manganese oxides.

Black glass is usually made from high iron concentrations, but can include other
substances such as carbon, copper with iron and magnesia.
Whether the batch is destined to be clear or colored glass, the combined
ingredients are known as the batch mixture and is transported to a furnace and
heated to a temperature of about 1565°C or 2850°F. Once melted and combined,
the molten glass passes through a refiner, where trapped air bubbles are allowed
to escape and then it is cooled to a uniform yet still formable temperature. A
feeder then pushes the liquid glass at a constant rate through precisely-sized
openings in a heat-resistant die. Shear blades cut the emerging molten glass at the
precise moment to create elongated cylinders called gobs. These gobs are
individual pieces, ready for forming. They enter a forming machine where, using
compressed air to expand them to fill a die of the desired final shape, are made
into containers.

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3.0. HOW GLASS BOTTLE ARE MADE
STEP BY STEP PROCESS OF HOW GLASS BOTTLE ARE MADE
Creating glass containers can be accomplished by one of two different processes –
the Blow and Blow, or the Press and Blow process. Each process is chosen based
on the kind of glass bottle being made. All glass bottles start out as raw materials.
Silica (sand), soda ash, limestone, and cullet (furnace-ready, recycled glass) are
combined into a specific mixture based on the desired properties of the bottle. The
mixture is then melted at high temperatures in the furnace until it becomes a
molten material, ready for formation. The type of glass this mixture will produce is
known as soda-lime glass, the most popular glass for food and beverages.

Glass Forming Methods

Molten glass gobs are cut by a perfectly-timed blade to ensure each gob is of equal
weight before it goes into the forming machine. The weight of a gob is important
to the formation process for each glass container being made. The molded glass is
created by gravity feeding gobs of molten glass into a forming machine, where
pressure forms the neck and basic shape of the bottle. Once the neck finish and the
general glass bottle shape has been achieved, the form is known as a parison. To
achieve the final container shape, one of two processes are used.
Press and Blow Process
The Press and Blow process is the most commonly used method in glass bottle
manufacturing. It uses an individual section (IS) machine, which is separated into
varying sections to produce several containers of the same size simultaneously.
The molten glass is cut with a shearing blade into a specific gob size. The gob falls
into the machine by force of gravity. A metal plunger is used to push the gob down
into the mold, where it starts to take shape and become a parison. The parison is
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then transferred into the blow mold and reheated so that the parison is soft enough
to finish off the dimensions of the glass. Once the parison is reheated to blowing
temperature, air is injected to blow the container into shape. Press and blow
methods are typically used for manufacturing wide-mouth bottles and jars as their
size allows the plunger into the parison.
Blow and Blow Process
Blow and Blow process is used to create narrow containers. It also requires an IS
machine, where gobs of molten glass are gravity fed into the mold. The parison is
created by using compressed air to form the neck finish and basic bottle shape. The
parison is then flipped 180 degrees and reheated before air is again injected to
blow the container into its final shape. Compressed air is once again used to blow
the bottle into its desired shape. Blow and Blow methods are best used for glass
bottle manufacturing requiring different neck thicknesses.

Fig 14: Finishing the Process

Regardless of the process used, once the bottle has been completely formed, it is
removed from the mold and transferred to the annealing lehr. The lehr reheats the
bottes to a temperature of about 1,050 degrees Fahrenheit then gradually cools
them to about 390F. This process allows the glass to cool at an even rate -

20
eliminating internal stresses in the glass that could lead to cracking or shattering.
Bottles are then subjected to careful inspections to ensure they meet quality control
guidelines. Any bottles showing imperfections, including bubbles, cracks, or
misshapen areas, are removed from the line and used as cullet. All remaining
bottles are sorted according to size and type. The bottles are then packaged on
pallets and prepared for shipping.

Fig 15: DIAGRAMS ON GLASS WHEN MANUFACTURING

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Fig 16

Fig 17

22
Fig 18:

Fig 19

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3.1. RECYCLING OF GLASSES
To start with glass containers are collected, either from kerbside boxes, bags, bins
or from recycling banks. The glass is then taken to a recycling deport. The sorting
and separating of materials take place at the kerbside. All the glass is then
delivered to a reprocessing company. The glass is screened so containers-like corks
on metal lids-can be removed. The glass then crushed and sent to a company to be
manufactured into new bottles.
Where this crushed glass known as cullet, is sent very much depends on its colour.
Once the cullet arrives at the glass factory, it is mixed with raw materials, to begin
the transformation into glass. These materials include sand, otherwise known as
Silicate, Sodium Carbonate and Calcium Carbonate.
They are then melted down in a furnace exceeding temperatures of 1000 degrees F.
the glass produced is then moulded or mechanically blown, into new shapes.
The new containers are then sold to various companies to be packaged and put on
the market as products that we know and love to begin the cycle.
A small proportion of our crushed glass, whether green, clear or brown can
be recycled into aggregate for building purposes; some roads in Nigeria have been
built or repaired using aggregate made from recycled glass.

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4.0 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
4.1 SUMMARY
Sunglass Industry has continued to play a paramount role of manufacturing quality
bottles for the Nigerian market and with the brief duration of my visit to the
Industry, I believe some improvements can be made to improve the standards of
the Industry.
1. Energy source: One of the laudable aspects of Sunglass Industry is the
concept of power generation using hydro energy. This greatly reduces the
need of cost of electricity as this hydro energy powers its major operations
i.e. the activities carried out on the production floor. I believe that if solar
energy is introduced as an energy source it could equally lower the cost
required for energy expenditure.

2. Recycling: Also, an awareness program should be conducted on the

importance of recycling in Nigeria. This is a very critical issue as most
Nigerians tend to dispose of their wastes carelessly without the knowledge
that some of these wastes

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4.2. CONCLUSION
Glass containers continue to play a paramount role in the society. More research is
being made on how to reduce the brittleness of the glass container without
lowering its strength. More automated machines are also being constructed in order
to ease the process of manufacturing glass containers. With the unique properties, I
believe it can play a key role in the modern day science and technology.

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REFERENCES
B. H. W. S. de Jong, "Glass";in "Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry";
5th edition, vol.A12, VCH Publishers, Weinheim, Germany, 1989, ISBN
3-527-20112-2, pp. 365–432.
"Glass." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference
Suite.Chicago:Encyclopædia Britannica, 2012.
"Industrial glass." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate
Reference Suite.Chicago:Encyclopædia Britannica, 2012.
"The Blow and Blow Method". Eurotherm. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
"Glass-Forming Machine". Farlex. Retrieved 2013-05-20. 11:20am

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