Safety and environmental protection

Using less energy and lowering our consumption of resources will always be an important focus of what we do. SCHOTT continues to lower its specific energy requirement of melted glass by making a host of improvements to process sequences and using pure oxygen for firing. This will result in a significant reduction in emissions of nitrogen oxides and CO2 that harm our environment. DIN ISO 50001 compliance is a component of our environmental policy.

By installing a new tank for glass tubing in Mainz, a so-called oxy-fuel tank, SCHOTT has adopted the most modern tank approach possible from a technological perspective. Oxy-fuel technology calls for natural gas to be burned using pure oxygen. This results in a highly efficient combustion process that requires roughly 30 percent less energy than comparable regenerative tanks. In addition, hardly any nitrogen oxides are produced, which means there is no longer a need for complex catalytic processing of the exhaust gases. This technology also allows for the construction design of the melting tank to be simplified rather considerably. This, in turn, means that significantly less stony material is needed if tank repairs are performed on a regular basis. Generally speaking, the use of oxy-fuel technology makes a significant contribution towards protecting the environment, as well as sustainable manufacturing.