PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Ceramics tiles are used in the construction field to make floors and walls in private and industrial buildings. The ceramic industry has a considerable environmental impact due to firstly, a large production of solid and liquid waste (sludge and glaze from the glazing cycle, defective tiles or broken tiles) that are currently disposed of as special waste and/or toxic waste. And secondly, to the high levels of air pollution emissions at very high temperatures (kiln combustion gases that contain particles of glaze and other substances such as fluorine chromium, lead, zinc, cobalt and selenium) which are currently eliminated by means of big combustion gas removal plants.
OBJECTIVES
This project was to involve the research, development and operational experimentation of an innovative clean technology for manufacturing double-fired ceramic tiles which would considerably reduce the environmental impacts of currently used techniques with liquid emissions during the glazing phase and the gas emissions during the firing phase. The glazing process to be tested would not require the use of water or liquid vehicles as it would be a dry glazing process which would avoid any emission of liquid waste. The project was expected to eliminate the vitrifying components and the liquid vehicles that were currently being used (water, polyglycolic compounds, ethylenic compounds, propyl compounds, fluidizing substances). Low-temperature and low-emission thermosetting and aggregating resins would be used instead of the vitrifying mixtures. The agglomerating function of these resins would permit, as already stated, the elimination of the use of liquid vehicles currently used during the glazing phase, thus creating a final product in a solid state (atomized).
RESULTS
No actions were undertaken. The project was stopped by the Commission on 09/06/99. No actions were undertaken. The project was stopped by the Commission on 09/06/99.