Ardagh Glass Packaging Advances Sustainability with Hydrogen Energy Integration
Limmared, Sweden – December 3, 2024. Ardagh Glass Packaging-Europe (AGP-Europe), a division of the Ardagh Group, marked a major milestone in sustainable manufacturing by incorporating green hydrogen into its glass production process. At its Limmared facility, the company successfully operated a 5MW Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) hydrogen electrolyser, a cutting-edge system that utilizes renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, thereby supplying hydrogen to the furnace’s energy mix.
During the testing phase, which commenced in October, the furnace combusted 109,000 cubic meters of hydrogen produced on-site, achieving a reduction of 70 tonnes in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Daniel Johansson, Project Manager at AGP-Europe, expressed satisfaction with the results:
“The testing phase using the hydrogen energy mix progressed seamlessly, with no impact on the quality of the glass or the furnace operations. Our goal was to replace 20% of the natural gas in the furnace with green hydrogen, which significantly reduces the carbon footprint of the glass packaging produced at Limmared.”
This achievement builds on AGP’s earlier success with its NextGen Furnace in Obernkirchen, Germany, where the company integrated 60% electrical heating, leading to a 64% reduction in carbon emissions.
AGP-Europe CEO, Martin Petersson, highlighted the broader implications of the initiative:
“Replacing a portion of natural gas with green hydrogen in the furnace represents a transformative step in how we sustainably produce glass packaging. By combining hydrogen with other innovative technologies such as hybrid melting, we are advancing the decarbonisation of the glass industry while supporting our customers in meeting their emissions reduction targets.”
Ardagh Glass Packaging’s adoption of green hydrogen underscores its commitment to leading the glass industry toward a sustainable and low-carbon future. The successful integration of hydrogen energy at the Limmared facility marks a significant advancement in environmentally responsible glass manufacturing.
