Saint-Gobain thus proves the technical feasibility of producing flat glass with an energy mix composed mainly of hydrogen - in addition to natural gas.
Through the prospective conversion of the energy source to direct electrical heating and hydrogen combustion, the direct CO2 emissions of the Herzogenrath site can be reduced by up to 70 %.
Based on preliminary lab tests
This technical feat was made possible by a research and development programme launched in 2022, which drew on the Saint-Gobain Group's vast expertise in combustion, glass quality, refractory materials and industrial furnace development, in collaboration with the independent German laboratory Gas und Wärme Institut Essen e.V. (GWI), which has been working on the energy issues of the future for over 85 years.
See also: One week of carbon-free glass production
Prior to the industrial tests at the Herzogenrath site, laboratory-scale tests were carried out in France at the two research centres of Saint-Gobain Research. The political will at European and German level to support industries that are difficult to decarbonise led Saint-Gobain to apply for funding from the German government and to obtain approval for an early start to the measures.
Progress on Saint-Gobain’s road to carbon neutrality
The five-day trials were carried out in cooperation with the German branch of Air Products. The company provided the hydrogen supply from its Rotterdam plant in the Netherlands and supplied a total of 33 tonnes of liquid hydrogen during the trial period. Air Products also designed and built a cryogenic vaporisation plant on the factory premises, which delivers the hydrogen to the injectors of the glass tank via special pipelines. Furthermore, they set up corresponding control systems.
Also interesting: Glass as a heating element - How does it work?
Analysis of the data from these tests will make it possible to use hydrogen in Saint-Gobain Group's float lines in the coming decades, as soon as low-CO2 hydrogen is available in sufficient quantities. This is another step in Saint-Gobain's roadmap to achieve global CO2 neutrality in 2050.
