Decarbonisation of the Dutch Container Glass Industry by 2050

Abstract

The Dutch container glass industry is an energy- and capital-intensive industry which accounts for about 350 kt of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on an annual basis. The fluctuating energy prices during the past decades as well as the implementation of the European Emission trading scheme (ETS) are pushing towards the deep decarbonisation of container glass-making activities. However the uncertainty which surrounds the transition strategies hinders the decarbonisation efforts, leading investment decisions in CO2-reducing technologies to postponement. In this study, a set of optimally robust-performing policy options is identified for the effective decarbonisation of the container glass industry by 2050. By conducting techno-economic analysis on the processes of Dutch production sites, alternative technology options and their combinations are compared on the basis of their technical and financial feasibility. The robustness of decarbonisation strategies is determined on the basis of carbon emissions, energy consumption, product cost and return of investment and assessed under a wide spectrum of potential future events using a many-objective robust decision making technique. The study concludes on the importance of using alternative fuels (i.e. biomethane, electricity and syngas) as well as the coupling of waste heat recovery options with innovative furnaces for improving the melting activity. Further development of breakthrough technologies is necessary to achieve greater carbon emissions reduction, which will be supported by a sound regulatory framework for technology deployment. The study can be leveraged by industry stakeholders and policymakers on the future of the container glass sector and the industry in a broader sense in a competitive low-carbon economy.