AGC has recently succeeded in the world’s first demonstration test of glass production using ammonia as fuel in an actual production furnace under the project entitled “Technology Development for the Utilization and Production of Ammonia as Fuel” (“the project”) which is being undertaken as a commissioned project by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

The project is a joint technology development effort with Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and National University Corporation Tohoku University. For this project, an actual test of ammonia combustion technology was conducted using an ammonia-oxygen burner with low NOx combustion technology developed by Taiyo Nippon Sanso at the glass melting furnace that produces architectural glass at the AGC Yokohama Technical Centre, and the effects on glass quality and furnace materials, and on control of flame temperature (temperature of flame burning at burner tip installed in furnace), furnace temperature (temperature of gas inside the furnace and inner wall surface), nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions were verified.

        A pair of burners developed by Taiyo Nippon Sanso to prevent a rapid rise in flame temperature through multi-stage combustion were installed in the glass melting furnace (actual production furnace) used to produce architectural glass at the AGC Yokohama Technical Centre, and the world’s first demonstration test using ammonia as fuel was conducted for two days from June 18 to 19th, 2023.