04.17.24
The next milestone on the way to climate-neutral production has been reached: After successfully testing glass production with 100 percent hydrogen on a laboratory scale last spring, SCHOTT has now completed the much anticipated industrial-scale application.
For three days, the Mainz-based specialty glass expert melted optical glass in a furnace using the new technology for the first time – exclusively heated by hydrogen, completely free of natural gas.
So far, SCHOTT has been conducting its tests with grey hydrogen because green hydrogen, produced from renewable energies, is not yet available in sufficient quantities. The large-scale test received excellent marks, and the quality of the glass is now being analyzed.
"The test with 100 percent hydrogen is pioneering work for the specialty glass industry. If the tests show that the quality of the glass is also right and the glass properties remain unchanged, hydrogen would indeed be a suitable technology option," explained SCHOTT project manager Dr. Lenka Deneke.
The test manager emphasizes that the experience gained from last year's tank tests with an initial 35 percent hydrogen-by-volume tremendously helped with this success, but also asserts that there are still many unanswered questions requiring further research.
For example: How does the use of hydrogen impact the complex melting processes, and therein, the quality of different products? What long-term effects does heating with hydrogen have on the plant itself? And what infrastructure needs to be adapted in order for hydrogen to be optimally used as a substitute for natural gas in operations?
To answer these questions, SCHOTT chose an optical glass as the first test product. The technology group manufactures over 100 types of optical glass from high-quality raw materials for various applications, such as consumer goods and measurement technology, as well as optical systems in research and development.
The challenge is that the glass must have the highest homogeneity and transmission properties. This also applies to the molten glass, which undergoes strict quality testing.
If the glass meets the high product requirements, it will be sent to the customer.
"We would then have confirmation that the use of 100 percent hydrogen instead of fossil fuels delivers the same quality under industrial conditions," said Deneke. A permanent changeover would then also require further long-term tests and a continuous supply via a hydrogen pipeline. Only then would the group have taken another important step towards its strategic goal of climate-neutral glass production by 2030.
SCHOTT has already achieved the switch to 100 percent green electricity, and energy efficiency is being continuously and systematically increased. The technology change is primarily about replacing natural gas for the operation of the furnaces.
For three days, the Mainz-based specialty glass expert melted optical glass in a furnace using the new technology for the first time – exclusively heated by hydrogen, completely free of natural gas.
So far, SCHOTT has been conducting its tests with grey hydrogen because green hydrogen, produced from renewable energies, is not yet available in sufficient quantities. The large-scale test received excellent marks, and the quality of the glass is now being analyzed.
"The test with 100 percent hydrogen is pioneering work for the specialty glass industry. If the tests show that the quality of the glass is also right and the glass properties remain unchanged, hydrogen would indeed be a suitable technology option," explained SCHOTT project manager Dr. Lenka Deneke.
The test manager emphasizes that the experience gained from last year's tank tests with an initial 35 percent hydrogen-by-volume tremendously helped with this success, but also asserts that there are still many unanswered questions requiring further research.
For example: How does the use of hydrogen impact the complex melting processes, and therein, the quality of different products? What long-term effects does heating with hydrogen have on the plant itself? And what infrastructure needs to be adapted in order for hydrogen to be optimally used as a substitute for natural gas in operations?
To answer these questions, SCHOTT chose an optical glass as the first test product. The technology group manufactures over 100 types of optical glass from high-quality raw materials for various applications, such as consumer goods and measurement technology, as well as optical systems in research and development.
The challenge is that the glass must have the highest homogeneity and transmission properties. This also applies to the molten glass, which undergoes strict quality testing.
If the glass meets the high product requirements, it will be sent to the customer.
"We would then have confirmation that the use of 100 percent hydrogen instead of fossil fuels delivers the same quality under industrial conditions," said Deneke. A permanent changeover would then also require further long-term tests and a continuous supply via a hydrogen pipeline. Only then would the group have taken another important step towards its strategic goal of climate-neutral glass production by 2030.
SCHOTT has already achieved the switch to 100 percent green electricity, and energy efficiency is being continuously and systematically increased. The technology change is primarily about replacing natural gas for the operation of the furnaces.