SCHOTT, the international technology group and inventor of specialty glass, has been honored with the SPIE Catalyst Award for its groundbreaking achievement in producing optical glass using 100% hydrogen as a fuel source. Over six years of research, the project progressed from small-scale trials to full-scale production, achieving seamless transitions to hydrogen while maintaining high glass quality. A three-day continuous run at an industrial scale last March demonstrated that glass can be produced without compromising quality.
The SPIE Catalyst Award, in its second year, celebrates organizations that make significant contributions to environmental sustainability. SCHOTT’s pioneering efforts in decarbonizing high-temperature glass melting — a process requiring temperatures of up to 1,700°C — set a new benchmark for sustainability in glass production.”
The large-scale use of hydrogen in glass production is technologically very demanding and has not yet been attempted by any company.
SCHOTT’s infrastructure, including a 5,000 Nm3 hydrogen tank and adapted burner systems, allowed for stable melting with hydrogen. Initial tests on a production tank at 35% hydrogen admixture over a four-week period, followed by 100% hydrogen firing on an optical glass tank, demonstrated that hydrogen can replace natural gas entirely.
Photo of SCHOTT
Press release https://tinyurl.com/ycyfxa9a
