PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The manufacturing of ceramic tiles generates an estimated three million tonnes of waste per year in Europe. Waste emerges from different stages of the production process, including from the forming, firing, glazing, grinding and polishing activities, as well as from broken or sub-standard products that have to be discarded.
The manufacturing process changes the composition of the materials – clay, glazes etc. - meaning a significant percentage cannot be re-used in the manufacturing process. Using ceramic waste material as low-value fillers in the construction industry is one of the few options available. As a result, large amounts of waste are sent to landfill.
The ceramic sector needs to find solutions to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. As well as changing consumption patterns, it may be necessary to develop new products to make use of the available materials. Technological innovation can help explore these possibilities.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE CERAM project's main objective was to demonstrate the feasibility of achieving zero-waste from the ceramic tile manufacturing process. To achieve this, it aimed to develop a new ceramic tile product made out of ceramic manufacturing residues. The project was targeting zero waste from a life-cycle perspective.
The project seeked to develop a new type of ceramic tile for outdoor use, such as urban paving, making use of a high content of ceramic waste in the body and glaze. The wastes from other energy-intensive processes – such as power plants and glass manufacturing – would also be tested.
The project would quantify and characterise all the wastes currently generated in the manufacture of ceramic tiles and related activities – including body composition suppliers, glaze producers and polishing facilities. It would do the same for wastes coming from other energy-intensive processes within a 100 km radius of the ceramics cluster in Castellón.
The researchers would design body and glaze compositions for the new product, which would allow for the use of all types of ceramic waste. The new glazes would be obtained by mixing different residues, ceramic and non ceramic, including up to 20% recycled glass.
They would also design a highly sustainable process for manufacturing the new tiles, using existing dry milling and granulation technologies. They aimed to move from laboratory-scale tests to successfully demonstrate industrial-scale feasibility.
RESULTS
The LIFE CERAM project consortium designed, tested and checked at lab scale and industrial scale the feasibility of producing a new type of urban paving tile made using waste from the traditional ceramic sector.
The key results were as follows:
- 76% reduction of water consumption achieved;
- 77% reduction of energy (thermal and electrical) achieved;
- 82% reduction in CO2 emissions with respect to the wet-milling and spray-drying process;
- Development of a suitable ceramic tile for outdoor use, with a high waste content (over 95%);
- Design of a highly sustainable manufacturing process based on dry milling and granulation technologies, which enables all types of ceramic waste to be recycled; and
- Demonstration of the technical and economic feasibility of the project by industrial production of the new tiles.
The project proved that the new tile is environmentally and economically viable. However, currently several barriers exist such as the lack of waste processing and handling plants, or the need for adaptation of existing plants, as well as qualified workers to carry out the treatments needed to convert this waste into raw materials.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
