Linde and O-I Partner to Install OPTIMELT® TCR Technology at Holzminden, Germany, Plant to Improve Efficiency and Reduce Emissions
O-I Glass, Inc. (“O-I Glass” or “O-I”) and Linde today announced plans to install Linde’s proprietary OPTIMELTTM Thermochemical Regenerator (TCR) technology at O-I’s container glass plant in Holzminden, Germany. This collaboration is expected to significantly reduce both fuel consumption and fuel-based Scope 1 carbon dioxide emissions for O-I, a global leader in glass manufacturing.
Linde offers a broad range of technologies, including the patented OPTIMELTTM TCR technology, to help glass manufacturers increase the energy efficiency of their melting operations. This unique technology recovers waste heat from glass furnace flue gas to preheat and reform the natural gas feed. This decreases fuel consumption of the melting process by approximately 30% versus furnaces that do not feature this technology. The OPTIMELTTM TCR technology is also compatible with a range of fuels such as low carbon hydrogen or blends of hydrogen and natural gas. Linde’s OPTIMELTTM TCR technology is being implemented by glass manufacturing customers worldwide, including in the United States.
“Linde has provided innovative oxygen and burner technology to the glass industry for more than three decades. We offer a broad range of leading-edge technologies to help glass manufacturers increase energy efficiency and substantially reduce Scope 1 carbon dioxide emissions,” said Dr. Amitabh Gupta, Vice President Technology, Linde. “We are proud of our almost 30-year track record of supplying oxygen to O-I and look forward to expanding our relationship by providing this cost-effective solution to help O-I decarbonize.”
Randy Burns, Chief Administrative & Sustainability Officer for O-I, commented, “We continue partnering with innovators and strategically deploying leading-edge technologies to improve energy efficiency and reduce fuel consumption. In addition to supporting O-I’s objectives, this will help our customers in their own decarbonization efforts”.
In addition, O-I has commissioned Linde to install an advanced Centrifugal VITRON® Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption (VPSA) plant at the Holzminden plant to produce a steady supply of oxygen for the furnace. As part of Linde’s ECOVAR® small on-site portfolio, the VITRON® plant incorporates the latest proprietary Linde technology to significantly improve power efficiency, lower noise emissions, and further reduce the environmental footprint for O-I and for multiple global customers in the glass industry.
About O-I GLASS
At O-I Glass, Inc. (NYSE: OI), we love glass, and we are proud to be one of the leading producers of glass bottles and jars around the globe. Glass is not only beautiful, it is also pure, healthy, and completely recyclable, making it the most sustainable rigid packaging material. Headquartered in Perrysburg, Ohio (USA), O-I is the preferred partner for many of the world’s leading food and beverage brands. We innovate in line with customers’ needs to create iconic packaging that builds brands around the world. Led by our diverse team of approximately 21,000 people across 69 plants in 19 countries, O-I achieved revenues of $6.5 billion in 2024. Learn more about us: o-i.com / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn
About Linde
Linde is a leading global industrial gases and engineering company with 2024 sales of $33 billion. We live our mission of making our world more productive every day by providing high-quality solutions, technologies and services which are making our customers more successful and helping to sustain, decarbonize and protect our planet.
The company serves a variety of end markets such as chemicals & energy, food & beverage, electronics, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and mining. Linde’s industrial gases and technologies are used in countless applications including production of clean hydrogen and carbon capture systems critical to the energy transition, life-saving medical oxygen and high-purity & specialty gases for electronics. Linde also delivers state-of-the-art gas processing solutions to support customer expansion, efficiency improvements and emissions reductions.
For more information about the company and its products and services, please visit linde.com.
