Industrial silicate ceramics - Towards the decarbonization of their manufacture

Silicate ceramics are used in a wide variety of industrial applications, including construction, consumer goods, household appliances, healthcare, environmental technologies, electronics, transport, defense and aeronautics. What all these industrial sectors have in common is that they use fossil fuel-based technologies, all of which have a significant impact on the environment. In this context, international agreements aim to limit climate change, and are enshrined in European climate legislation.

Since 2019, the EU has set ambitious climate targets and put the continent on the path to decarbonization, so that the economy of the European continent becomes climate-neutral by 2050. An interim target is to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels. Climate neutrality by 2050 means achieving zero net greenhouse gas emissions for EU countries, mainly by reducing current emissions, investing in innovative technologies, and protecting the natural environment. Like all other industrial sectors, the European ceramics industry, and silicate ceramics in particular, is committed to working with the EU institutions to lead the transition to a zero-carbon economy in the coming decades.

The share of emission sources in the ceramics industry in 2021 was :

• 64% for fossil fuels ;

• 17% for manufacturing processes ;

• 19% for the industrial environment.

Emissions linked to the production of ceramics can be divided into three main categories:

• combustion, for high-temperature drying and baking processes;

• emissions generated by the thermal processing of mineral resources, including clays;

• indirect emissions, mainly from electricity generation.

Around 90% of emissions come from three industrial sectors:

• building bricks and roofing tiles ;

• floor and wall tiles ;

• refractory products.

The European ceramics industry has embarked on a process of research and development (R&D) to meet its commitments to the environment and new regulatory guidelines. This involves both the gradual transformation of industrial equipment and the use of low-carbon energy sources.

This article describes the main orientations of R&D activities in Europe, aimed at achieving these objectives by 2050.