REGlas

Project Title	REGlas
Project Subtitle	A shatter-free circular economy for ‘end-of-life’ insulating glazing
Project Leader	Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Engelmann (TU Dresden)
Researcher	Dipl.-Ing. Alexandra Herpich, Dr.-Ing. Silke Tasche (TU Dresden)
Partners	Flachglas Sachsen GmbH ROVAK GmbH Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP
Funding	ERDF/JTF – Research and Development – Project Funding
Time Span	2026-2028

Project Description

The construction sector is a driver of climate change, while at the same time offering significant potential for reducing emissions. Glass is a key factor influencing the energy demand of buildings. Replacing conventional windows with multi-pane insulating glass units (IGUs, consisting of glass panes and an edge seal) is a major focus of energy-efficiency measures. However, there is currently no viable recycling approach for window and façade glass from building demolition and renovation. To enable the efficient reuse of glass, this project will develop the photon-based heating process of flash lamp annealing (FLA) as a non-fragmenting separation technology for insulating glass units. Due to its photonic operating principle, based on the optical spectrum of xenon flash lamps, FLA is a particularly energy-efficient technology, offering significant advantages over conventional heating and separation processes. We are investigating an innovative approach for recovering and reprocessing entire glass panes from existing insulating glass units for reintegration into the glass finishing process. This approach could reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 70% by avoiding the need to remelt the glass. To achieve this, flash lamp annealing (FLA) will be used to separate the components of the insulating glass unit in a highly energy-efficient manner, enabling the glass panes to be recovered for the first time in a damage-free and material-pure form.