VALORISATION OF FOREST AND AGRICULTURAL BIOMASS FOR THE SPANISH CERAMIC TILE INDUSTRY

Abstract

Since ceramic tile industry is an energy intensive industry, European ceramic companies are challenged to reduce their CO2 emissions in the medium and long-term. According the Roadmap for moving to a low-carbon economy in 2050 (European Commission, 2011) the objective is to achieve a reduction in CO2 emissions of between 34 % and 40 % by 2030, and between 83 % and 87 % by 2050. In the present paper we present a study on the viability of the incorporation of biofuels in the energy mix of the Spanish ceramic industry with the objective of (1) identifying the potential use of biomass resources, with a special focus of forest and agricultural biomass, in the manufacturing process of ceramic tile products; (2) identify in what part of the production process it can be introduced; and (3) calculate the reduced environmental impact from the manufacture of ceramic materials through a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. In order to proceed we firstly present the relevant state of the art for the study of the use of biomass for the ceramic manufacturing process. We continue with the methodology for biomass resources evaluation and present relevant data on forest and agricultural biomass for the ceramic tile industry. We then present data on the evolution and actual energy demand of the ceramic tile industry to characterize its energy demand. And then we identify an opportunity for biomass use in a specific phase of the manufacture of ceramic products, estimating the savings of fossil fuels and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and therefore assessing the environmental impact reduction through the introduction of biomass in the manufacturing process of ceramic tile products.