The Competence Centre for Climate Protection in Energy-Intensive Industries (KEI) is supporting a project for climate-friendly glass production with its „Decarbonisation in Industry“ funding programme. A pilot plant is being built for the project to produce pharmaceutical glass without greenhouse gas emissions.
The quality requirements for high-tech medical products, such as ampoules or syringes, are considerable. Their CO2-low production in an electrified melting tank on an industrial scale, is the aim of the Schott AG. The company is now receiving funding totalling around 14.8 million euros from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK).
By setting up a pilot plant on an industrial scale, the technology group is demonstrating the technical feasibility of a CO2-low production of special pharmaceutical glass. Schott has already been researching the challenges over the past two years. The research results are now being in Mitterteich, Bavaria, is being tested on an industrial scale in an innovative plant concept. The „PROSPECT Pilot“ project is investing a total of around 36.4 million euros in the construction and deployment of a all-electric glass melting furnace. Powered by green electricity, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by around 80 per cent compared to current technology. The pharmaceutical glass furnaces operated by Schott alone cause around 188,000 tonnes of CO2-emissions.
„Climate protection is an enormous challenge for the energy-intensive glass industry. We are therefore delighted to be able to support them on their way to greenhouse gas neutrality with this pilot project. Ultimately, the aim is to electrify the processes as far as possible in order to drive forward the elimination of fossil fuels. This expertise will help to decarbonise the entire glass industry in the medium term.“
Dr Mario Hüttenhofer, KEI Manager
The glass industry is one of the most energy-intensive industrial sectors in Germany and generates almost four million tonnes of CO2-emissions. Most of the energy required is generated in the melting process. In refractory furnaces, the glass raw materials are melted at temperatures of up to 1,700 degrees Celsius. Until now, these furnaces have mainly been fuelled with fossil fuels such as natural gas and heating oil. By electrifying this process in future, considerable amounts of the carbon dioxide released in the process are to be saved.
The BMWK is supporting energy-intensive industry with this funding, permanently reduce process-related greenhouse gas emissions. The project is also financed by the European Union via the „NextGenerationEU“ fund. The contact for the „Decarbonisation in Industry“ programme is the Competence Centre for Climate Protection in Energy-Intensive Industries based in Cottbus (Brandenburg).
Source: KEI
