Schott succeeds in industrial-scale 100% hydrogen-powered glass production

German specialty glass maker Schott AG has successfully carried out industrial-scale tests to produce glass using entirely hydrogen in the melting process instead of natural gas, with the company making another step towards reaching its climate-neutral production goal.

The Mainz-based firm said last week it melted optical glass in a furnace for three days using the new technology for the first time.

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The quality of the glass is now being analysed.

“If the tests show that the quality of the glass is also right and the glass properties remain unchanged, hydrogen would indeed be a suitable technology option," project manager Lenka Deneke noted in the statement.

The successful experiment comes after Schott first produced glass using exclusively hydrogen in laboratory tests in 2023.

So far, the company has been conducting its trials with conventional hydrogen because green hydrogen is not yet available in sufficient quantities, Schott said.

The glassmaker has already begun using entirely green electricity as part of its goal to achieve climate-neutral glass production by 2030. A permanent switch to hydrogen, however, requires further long-term tests and a continuous supply via a hydrogen pipeline, the firm said.