O-I Glass and Linde announced plans to install Linde’s proprietary OPTIMELT™ Thermochemical Regenerator (TCR) technology at O-I’s container glass plant in Holzminden, Germany. This collaboration is expected to significantly reduce both fuel consumption and fuel-based Scope 1 carbon dioxide emissions for O-I, a global leader in glass manufacturing.
Linde offers a broad range of technologies, including the patented OPTIMELT™ TCR technology, to help glass manufacturers increase the energy efficiency of their melting operations. This unique technology recovers waste heat from glass furnace flue gas to preheat and reform the natural gas feed. This decreases fuel consumption of the melting process by approximately 30 percent versus furnaces that do not feature this technology. The OPTIMELT™ TCR technology is also compatible with a range of fuels such as low carbon hydrogen or blends of hydrogen and natural gas. Linde’s OPTIMELT™ TCR technology is being implemented by glass manufacturing customers worldwide, including in the United States.
“Linde has provided innovative oxygen and burner technology to the glass industry for more than three decades. We offer a broad range of leading-edge technologies to help glass manufacturers increase energy efficiency and substantially reduce Scope 1 carbon dioxide emissions,” said Dr. Amitabh Gupta, Vice President Technology, Linde. “We are proud of our almost 30-year track record of supplying oxygen to O-I and look forward to expanding our relationship by providing this cost-effective solution to help O-I decarbonize.”
Randy Burns, Chief Administrative & Sustainability Officer for O-I, commented, “We continue partnering with innovators and strategically deploying leading-edge technologies to improve energy efficiency and reduce fuel consumption. In addition to supporting O-I’s objectives, this will help our customers in their own decarbonization efforts”.
In addition, O-I has commissioned Linde to install an advanced Centrifugal VITRON® Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption (VPSA) plant at the Holzminden plant to produce a steady supply of oxygen for the furnace. As part of Linde’s ECOVAR® small on-site portfolio, the VITRON® plant incorporates the latest proprietary Linde technology to significantly improve power efficiency, lower noise emissions and further reduce the environmental footprint.