In recent years, the European Union’s legislation about sustainable development has promoted the gradual decarbonization of all industrial sectors, pushing towards the final goal of a carbon-neutral European glass industry in 2050. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the consequent natural gas supply crisis have led to significant increases in the costs of traditional energy commodities and CO₂ emission allowances. In this scenario, the European glass industry, which is both an energy-intensive sector and a large emitter of CO₂, needs to reduce its specific energy consumption, change its energy sources and decarbonize its production process. In order to understand and support this metamorphosis of the glass industry, the follwing questions must be answered: are the technologies reported in scientific publications merely theoretical exercises, or can they be adopted by the industry? In what timeframe can they be adopted? The aim of this study is to review consolidated and emerging technologies applicable to the glass industry and investigate which ones can be implemented in the short or medium term to reduce energy consumption and CO₂ emissions related to the glass production process. This study is based on a review of the literature, the materials presented in technical conferences and the opinions of interviewed experts. This study showed that the literature is not very substantial, lacking detailed information on technologies and their effects in terms of energy savings or emissions. More information can be found in the proceedings of selected specialist conferences. This study found that, on one hand, some technologies are mature and only adopted when economically viable, and appropriate boundary conditions are available; the state of the art regarding these technologies was already extensively covered in past publications (e.g., cullet pre-heating). On the other hand, there are many promising technologies in the research or testing phase (i.e., steam methane reforming, process electrification, use of hydrogen); in-depth studies about them are limited due to the novelty of the solutions that they propose or not available due to industrial secrecy issues. In addition to periodicals and specialized conferences, interviews were carried out with managers and technicians from industry, as well as technicians from the Italian glass research institute and industrial machinery producers (especially melting furnaces). The interviews represent added value of this publication, useful in helping us to truly understand the state of the art and degree of readiness of the technologies identified. In addition, the production values of the glass industry were studied: our research confirmed that the most important sub-sectors are flat and container glass, as well as the largest glass-producing nations/continents. Finally, a review of specific energy consumption and CO₂ emissions indexes was carried out.

This study demonstrated the physical–chemical and technical feasibility of recycling EAF slag granulated by rapid cooling with gas to produce continuous glass fibers with a basalt-like composition. To adjust the chemical composition, a silica fume-based secondary raw material was used, together with other additives. Different compositions were tested: 50% EAF slag and 50% silica fume (sample C1); 40% EAF slag, 50% silica fume and 10% Na₂O (sample C2); 40% EAF slag, 50% silica fume, 5% Na₂O and 5% K₂O (sample C3); 20% EAF slag, 57% silica fume, 10% Na₂O and 13% alkali earth oxides (sample C4); 26% EAF slag, 35% silica fume, 7% CaO and 12% Na₂O (sample C5); 26% EAF slag, 35% silica fume, 4% CaO and 15% Na₂O (sample C6). The last composition allowed obtaining fibers up to 5–6 m long, with a diameter between 60 and 180 µm. The process involved using a refractory material crucible with a calibrated bottom orifice as a single nozzle bushing. The optimal temperature range for fiber forming was between 1115 and 1125 °C, with a linear drawing speed of about 2 m/s. Preliminary mechanical tests were performed. Based on these results, potential further recycling applications of granulated EAF slag in the production of basalt-like glass for noncontinuous fiber production for mechanical reinforcement or for thermal–acoustic insulation can also be foreseen.

Decarbonization has become a central policy and industrial priority across the European Union, driven by increasingly ambitious climate targets. The EU’s regulatory framework now mandates a 55% reduction in CO₂ emissions by 2030 (compared to 1990 levels), with the overarching goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. This challenge is particularly critical for energy-intensive and hard-to-abate sectors, such as the glass industry. This paper begins with a brief overview of the relevant EU regulations and the structure of the Italian glass sector. It then identifies seven key decarbonization levers applicable to the industry. Drawing on literature data and expert consultations, these levers are integrated into two main decarbonization strategies tailored to the Italian context, both aligned with the 2050 net-zero target. This study further analyzes the estimated implementation costs, the barriers associated with each lever, and potential solutions to overcome them. Finally, Italian strategies are compared with decarbonization approaches adopted in other major European countries. The findings indicate that the transition to climate neutrality in the glass sector, while technically and economically plausible, remains highly contingent on the timely deployment of enabling technologies, the alignment of regulatory and financial frameworks, and the establishment of sustained, structured cooperation between industrial stakeholders and public authorities.

In recent years, the European Union has actively advocated for decarbonising hard-to-abate industries, including the glass sector. Stakeholders in both glass manufacturing and the research community have collaborated to fulfil ambitious CO₂ emission reduction objectives mandated by Brussels, in several ways. The initial strategic action to be undertaken involves reducing energy consumption through energy efficiency interventions; to achieve this goal, it is essential to be aware of own consumption indicators by comparing them with appropriate performance ones. There are not many updated references connected to real-world cases, nor are indicators specifically tied to individual phases of the production process available. After a brief presentation of the container glass sector, which is the most important subsector, in terms of production capacity in Italy and the EU and its production process, the manuscript describes a real and representative plant of the sector, which has made its data available anonymously. In this way, energy performance indices representative of a typical production of the sector have been defined: they are updated and more detailed than the ones available in the literature. This representation therefore constitutes a case study that is representative of the most common plant configuration in the hollow glass sector in the EU.

The European Union promotes decarbonization in energy-intensive industries like glass manufacturing. Collaboration between industry and researchers focuses on reducing CO₂ emissions through hydrogen (H₂) integration as a natural gas substitute. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no updated real-world case studies are available in the literature that consider the on-site implementation of an electrolyzer for autonomous hydrogen production capable of meeting the needs of a glass manufacturing plant within current technological constraints. This study examines a representative hollow glass plant and develops various decarbonization scenarios through detailed process simulations in Aspen Plus. The models provide consistent mass and energy balances, enabling the quantification of energy demand and key cost drivers associated with H₂ integration. These results form the basis for a scenario-specific techno-economic assessment, including both on-grid and off-grid configurations. Subsequently, the analysis estimates the levelized costs of hydrogen (LCOH) for each scenario and compares them to current and projected benchmarks. The study also highlights ongoing research projects and technological advancements in the transition from natural gas to H₂ in the glass sector. Finally, potential barriers to large-scale implementation are discussed, along with policy and infrastructure recommendations to foster industrial adoption. These findings suggest that hybrid configurations represent the most promising path toward industrial H₂ adoption in glass manufacturing.

Within the framework of developing advanced processes for nuclear waste treatment, Ansaldo Nucleare is developing and testing an innovative technology to perform the conditioning of radioactive ferrous waste materials, classified as Low and Intermediate Level Waste (LILW), resulting from decommissioning activities of Nuclear Facilities. This technology is based on a patented process dedicated to the treatment of decontamination solutions coming from the pickling process of the metallic components, with the aim to minimize the waste to be disposed, in an inert final product, and maximize the freely released material, that once it is decontaminated can be recycled. The process results in the production of a radioactive sludge, made mostly of iron-phosphate salts, which can be thermally treated to produce a ready-to-storage, homogenous and chemically resistant glass product. The process was first tested at laboratory scale and then in a pilot plant, installed at Politecnico di Milano. The main strengths of this innovative technology are: • Lower amount of fresh materials/chemicals requested for the waste treatment, resulting in lower costs associated with the process, also thanks to the continuous recycling of the pickling solution; • Lower volume and higher long-term stability of the nuclear waste for the final storage; • Facility with reduced footprint and transportable, designed to be installed in commercial containers.