HORN Glass Update on the “ZeroCO2Glas” Project: Progress Toward CO₂-Neutral Glass Melting

In November 2024, HORN Glass Industries reported its participation as an industrial partner in the “ZeroCO2Glas” project. Together with project partners IPGR, RWTH Aachen, and Wiegand-Glas, the initiative aims to develop a CO₂-neutral melting process for container glass.

As part of its contribution, HORN supplied the complete equipment for the new 2.4 t/d hybrid furnace, including the combustion and process control system, as well as handling the full construction work for the refractory lining and steel structure. The furnace, installed in Aachen, is designed as a hybrid system capable of operating with either hydrogen oxy-firing or natural gas oxy-firing, supported by a variable electric boosting share. The forehearth is also designed to run on both natural gas/O₂ and hydrogen/O₂.

With the necessary peripheral systems in place, the setup replicates a complete container glass production process. Within the scope of the project, various operating states are being systematically initiated and thoroughly analyzed to understand their impact on the glass melting process, furnace atmosphere-refractory interactions, forming process, and product quality.

The first glass was achieved on October 28, 2024. At the beginning of 2025, the first defined operating condition was successfully launched and stabilized, enabling an extensive series of measurements. This initial dataset will serve as the reference case for evaluating future operating conditions. Key parameters under investigation include combustion characteristics, batch coverage, temperature profiles, and energy consumption. In terms of the forming process, metrics such as gob weight and temperature, cutting frequency, and wall thickness distribution of bottles are being recorded. Product quality is being assessed based on dimensional accuracy, glass defects, blistering, and bubble formation. This collected data is currently undergoing detailed analysis.

Meanwhile, preparations are underway to initiate the next operating condition, which will include variations in the electric boosting share. Subsequent phases will explore alternative modes such as hydrogen/oxygen firing.

HORN Glass Industries remains fully committed to advancing this pioneering project and looks forward to continued collaboration with its esteemed partners.