Welcome to HotOxyGlass Life+ project

The HOTOXYGLASS project aims at reducing the impact of flat glass production on climate change (CO2) and on other pollutants emissions. This project is sponsored by EC through the life+ program. The main innovations of this project concern:

• the use of pure oxygen instead of air as oxidizer for environment-friendly and fuel efficient flat glass production;
• and the implementation of a new heat recovery technology to make oxy fuel combustion even more efficient and environment-friendly.

Even if flat glass production is the main target of the HOTOXYGLASS project, the use of the related technology could be envisioned for most other glass segments (container glass, fibre glass, technical glass…).

Glass melting furnaces make use of either air or oxygen for generating flames that bring the heat for transforming raw materials into molten glass. The environmental regulations have led the glassmakers to try minimizing their pollutants emissions (including CO2) and the rate of their global rejects. Today, the oxy fuel glass melting technology helps to more easily comply with the environmental norms and to save fuel energy.

AGC and Air Liquide have recently started the first oxy fuel float furnace in Europe, equipped with the last generation of Low-NOx ALGLASS SUN burners. This furnace is also making use of the new jointly developed oxy fuel heat recovery technology (first reference at worldwide level). Up to now, the achieved results with non-optimal operating conditions are: up to 35% SOx reduction, NOx levels far below the regulations and -15% CO2 emissions, compared to standard air fuel operation. The expected results in terms of fuel savings should reach 25%.