The world's first glass factory using 100% hydrogen gas

A week after the release of the UK government's hydrogen strategy, experiments using 100% hydrogen to produce float glass began in the Liverpool area, marking the first time in the world.

The fossil fuels typically used in the production process, such as natural gas, will be completely replaced by hydrogen, indicating that the glass industry can significantly reduce carbon emissions and take a big step towards achieving the goal of net zero.

The experiment was conducted at the St. Helens factory of the British glass company Pilkington, where the company first began manufacturing glass in 1826. In order to decarbonize the UK, almost all sectors of the economy need to undergo a complete transformation. Industry accounts for 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, and reducing these emissions is crucial if the country is to achieve 'net zero'.

However, energy intensive industries are one of the most difficult challenges to address. Industrial emissions, such as glass manufacturing, are particularly difficult to reduce - through this experiment, we are one step closer to overcoming this obstacle. The groundbreaking "HyNet Industrial Fuel Conversion" project is led by Progressive Energy, with hydrogen provided by BOC, which will provide confidence for HyNet's low hydrocarbon replacement of natural gas.

This is considered the world's first large-scale demonstration of 100% hydrogen combustion in a live float glass production environment. The Pilkington experiment in the UK is one of several ongoing projects in the northwest of England, aimed at testing how hydrogen can replace fossil fuels in the manufacturing industry. Later this year, further testing of HyNet will be conducted at Port Sunlight in Unilever.