A group of Italian industrial glassmaking firms hope to use hydrogen to reduce emissions produced in their manufacturing processes.

Glass manufacture involves melting processes that require high temperatures of over 1,300°C that are difficult to electrify. There are also some process emissions from the decomposition of carbonates.

EU glass production produces around 20mn t/yr of CO₂. Italy's emissions amount to 1.5mn t/yr of CO₂—around 3.5pc of the emissions of the whole manufacturing industry.

The ‘Divina’ project, coordinated by Italian energy company Snam, classification firm Rina and glass manufacturer Bormioli aims to reduce emissions in the glass melting stage, which accounts for more than 50pc of total energy consumption throughout the production process.

Hydrogen can be burned in a fuel mix with natural gas to create the temperatures required for glass manufacture, which can dramatically reduce emissions depending on the carbon intensity of the hydrogen involved.

Theoretically either green or blue hydrogen could be used for this. The project will also define and subsequently optimise the design rules for future furnaces that can use 100pc hydrogen fuel. Current furnaces are not equipped to handle high percentages of hydrogen in the blend.

“Hydrogen will play a key role in decarbonising energy-intensive sectors such as glass production in order to meet domestic and European climate targets,” says Snam CEO Marco Alvera.

“This project complements what we are already doing in the steel, rail transport and ceramics sectors.”

Other member of the working group are Stara Glass, Uni, Stazione Sperimentale del Vetro, IFRF Italia, Sgrpro and Rjcsoft.

The working group estimate that the nationwide use of a 30pc hydrogen blend in glass melting processes would reduce emissions by 200,000t/yr. 

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Author: Tom Young