German glass manufacturer Schott has received two grants worth €5mn ($5.65mn) from the German government to use hydrogen technologies to decarbonise its operations.

The first grant of €0.74mn will be used to decarbonise the melting process for pharmaceutical glass, while the second grant of €3.72mn will be used to decarbonise the melting process for specialty glass used in technical applications.

"Technological transformation is our greatest challenge on the path toward climate neutrality,” says Frank Heinricht, chairman of the board of management at Schott.

“In particular, we are focusing on electrification through green electricity and hydrogen technology. The government research funding will help support our efforts in this area.”

The funding comes from the German environment ministry’s ‘Decarbonising in Industry’ grant scheme.

Specialty glass is melted at temperatures of up to 1,700°C. Schott is evaluating ways to use hydrogen to heat glass to these temperatures rather than using natural gas.

Hydrogen can be burned in a fuel mix with natural gas to create the temperatures required for glass manufacture, dramatically reducing emissions. Schott eventually hopes to move to a 100pc hydrogen mix.

EU glass production produces around 20mn t/yr of CO₂.

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

 

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Author: Tom Young