Green solutions for the ceramic sector

The growing attention towards environmental sustainability and the impelling need to bring down energy costs are encouraging ceramic manufacturers to invest in technologies, in the form of low-impact, high-performance plants, designed to contain costs, reduce waste and improve overall efficiency. The targets set for reducing CO2 emissions by the end of 2030 and the subsequent step towards total decarbonisation set for 2050 confirm the need for the ceramic sector to implement business plans for the development of new, efficient, green technologies. Today, a combination of energies (natural gas, hydrogen and fuel blending) appears to be the only way to go in order to guarantee a sustainable transition, especially in sectors with particularly high energy consumption, such as transport, the glass, paper and steel industries, and of course the ceramic sector. The climate neutrality targets set by the European Union for 2050 are spearheading most of the efforts on the part of ceramic technology manufacturers, in particular regarding the management of thermal processes, which are responsible for over 70% of the total emissions of factories. The challenge is twofold, with the need to identify innovative technologies that can also be economically sustainable and thus feasible for the sector to adopt. An example of such technologies that are already produced on an industrial scale and available on the market are the innovations patented by Sacmi, which apply the advantages of a hybrid solution using a combination of methane and electricity from renewable sources to two key machines in the ceramic manufacturing process, i.e. the  dryers and spray dryers. In all cases, the technologies are based on the availability of a surplus of self-produced electrical energy, for example from the photovoltaic panels on the roof of the production site. Also from this point of view, the advantage is twofold, because it maximises the return on the investment made by the customer in this type of plant, with a significant saving on energy bills, and at the same time, it is beneficial for the environment, thanks to the proportional reduction in CO2 emissions. Designed and tested by Sacmi in the company’s in-house laboratory is the new hybrid methane-electric ATM atomiser. The hybrid generator of this ATM is composed of an electrical part with a modular structure and a conventional burner with fossil fuel combustion. This guarantees complete flexibility, based on the effective availability of green energy. “The solution adopted,” explains Claudio Ricci, Tiles R&D Coordinator of Sacmi, ”consists of integrating electrical modules into the air intake channel upstream of the burner (with a vertical or horizontal configuration, depending on the space available). Built into these modules are special electric resistors, sized to allow the air to reach the desired temperature (600°C) without the use of the burner”. When there is sufficient electrical power – generated by the self-production of electrical energy, for example by the photovoltaic panels on the factory roof –  gas consumption is reduced to zero, resulting in an annual saving of 1200 equivalent tonnes of CO2 per MW installed. When electrical power is insufficient, or partially insufficient, the burners come into action, guaranteeing continuity in all manufacturing conditions. Thanks to the guarantees offered in terms of technology and versatility, this solution offered by SACMI has been met with particular interest on the market, with a variety of offers available on hybrid ATMs in the various sizes, and with the possibility to customise the configuration based on the amount of electrical energy effectively self-produced by the customer. 

Hybrid dryer (Sacmi)	Photovoltaic panels on the factory roof, Sacmi Imola

The same goes for hybrid dryers. In this case, there is already a project successfully in operation at the premises of a leading European customer. Sacmi received the request following the inauguration of a huge photovoltaic roof panel system that allows the customer to produce 2 GWh of clean energy, avoiding the emission each year of 1000 equivalent tonnes of CO2. The dryer “modified” by Sacmi, inaugurated recently on the occasion of World Energy Efficiency Day, has an installed power of 800 kW, and can run 100% on the electrical energy produced by the photovoltaic plant. The project involved adjustments to the four modules of the existing machine, with the installation of electric resistors that allow for optimal functioning, without depending on fossil fuels. “Also in this case,” explains Claudio Ricci “the switch from gas to electricity is completely automatic during normal functioning and based on the effective availability of green energy, according to a conservative estimate of 20% of the hours of sunlight every year, for a saving of 1461 thermal MWh and 290 equivalent tonnes of CO2”. The effective absorption of the dryers and spray dryers compared to the maximum power theoretically necessary can be reduced further with the retrieval of heat from the kilns (RAVE and RVA), offered by Sacmi as standard on new machines or with revamping operations on existing machines. The collaboration between industry and research is essential to develop innovative technological solutions. Pilot projects and investments in research and development are crucial to test and implement these technologies on a large scale. It has become imperative to find solutions to deal with fluctuations in gas prices and to meet European standards and regulations regarding the circular economy and energy efficiency. 

bt-LAB, technology centre by Gruppo BT in Formigine (Modena, Italy)

In this context, Gruppo B&T is a strategic partner for the construction of efficient, sustainable, highly technological and innovative plants based on a combination of raw material recovery systems and the use of hydrogen/methane blends to reduce CO2 emissions. The transition towards a more sustainable ceramic industry is therefore not only possible, but also necessary to ensure the sector remains competitive in the long term, while meeting global environmental commitments. Thanks to massive investments in Research & Development, Gruppo B&T already boasts cutting-edge technologies also for the use of hydrogen in its thermal machines, with three patents filed and successful case histories to its name in Italy and Europe. “For some time now,” explains Gruppo B&T CEO and Chairman Fabio Tarozzi, “we’ve been investing in the use of hydrogen, and this year we’ve built a pilot kiln for the firing of ceramic slabs, able to run on up to 60% hydrogen”. This technology has already been applied in the Portuguese ceramic company Revigres, with the first Titanium®H2 kiln ready to operate with blends containing up to 60% hydrogen, self-produced using high-flow electrolysers and powered by a photovoltaic system. This effective response to sustainability requirements will allow for a significant reduction in CO2 emissions. 

Kiln Titanium H2 - Gruppo BT

Press without mould Supera®Rapida  - Gruppo BT

The aim of making processes as sustainable as possible has also been key to the recent project in the ceramic district for Nuova Riwal (part of Casalgrande Padana Group): a complete line applied to the entire process, which guarantees, on the one hand, a 50% energy saving, thanks to the new Supera®Rapida press without a mould and with a patented Start&Stop® system, and on the other, a Titanium®H2 kiln with a combustion system using a hydrogen/methane blend up to 30% in volume. “Within a couple of years,” Fabio Tarozzi concludes, “we will be able to produce a complete, totally green line on an industrial scale. We’re proud to have been awarded the H2Cer 2023-2026 contract, with the ultimate aim of providing the reference market with a highly innovative solution composed of a spray dryer, dryer and kiln powered by 60% - 100% hydrogen”.

 

(Article by Andrea Ghiaroni, published in "CER il giornale della ceramica" no. 405 magazine)