A Japanese glass manufacturer will change the combustion method of one of its glass-melting furnaces from air combustion to oxygen combustion (also known as oxy-fuel combustion), a move that could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20%.
TOYO Glass, a subsidiary of Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, expects to make the move to oxygen at its Chiba Plant during a planned renovation in December 2025.
Such an oxy-fuel combustion system for a large glass-melting furnace with a daily production capacity exceeding 200 tonnes of glass for bottles will be the first of its kind in Japan.
Glass bottle furnaces in the country currently use air combustion, which is inefficient due to air being 80% nitrogen.
The nitrogen becomes an exhaust gas without contributing to heat transfer in the glass-melting process.
“By introducing an oxygen combustion system, which has high efficiency of heat transfer to glass due to the absence of nitrogen, while maintaining the current production capacity is expected to reduce GHG emissions by approximately 20% for each glass-melting furnace,” said a company spokesperson.
Bricks for heat storage in air combustion furnaces will also no longer be needed, allowing for more eco-friendly and resource-efficient furnaces.
The company will have to foot the bill for new oxygen supply equipment, stating that – with customer support – it has decided to take this step to meet its GHG reduction obligations.
“With the introduction of oxygen combustion, TOYO Glass is further developing and applying technologies to reduce GHG emissions and lower the environmental impact of glass bottle manufacturing,” added the company.
Around 50% of all new glass furnaces built in recent years have adopted oxy-fuel combustion technology, according to Air Products.
Many existing furnaces have also been retrofitted with oxy-fuel systems to improve efficiency and reduce emissions.
In addition to reducing fuel consumption by up to 40%, the process is reported to significantly lower emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and particulates.
