At the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris-Le Bourget, the France-China Committee awarded a 2015 Innovative Product Award in the “Climate Solutions” category to Air Liquide for its Heat Oxy-Combustion technology. The technology reportedly reduces the environmental impact of the glass melting process.
Energy efficiency and emission reduction are critical to the glass industry, which requires a significant amount of energy to achieve the extremely high temperatures necessary for glass melting. Oxy-combustion is based on enriching the air with pure oxygen and is widely used by the glass and metal industries to improve the combustion process, reduce air pollutant emissions and save fuel. The Heat Oxy-Combustion technology extracts heat from the combustion fumes and uses it to heat oxygen and fuel, reportedly maximizing the oxy-combustion performance by 10%, Compared to air combustion, the technology provides up to 50% energy savings and up to 50% CO2 emission reduction, according to Air Liquide.
To date, the technology has been implemented in several glass factories in Europe. It is of particular interest to the Chinese market, which represents about 50% of the worldwide glass production, according to the company.
The France-China Committee is a private, non-profit organization with a membership of more than 100 French companies that do business with China. Founded in 1979 at the initiative of the French business community and supported by the French and Chinese authorities, the aim of the CFC is to promote understanding and knowledge between French business and the Chinese government as well as Chinese companies.
For more information, visit: www.airliquide.com
