Among the challenges to be faced by today´s society, environmental impact and energy efficiency of manufacturing processes are some of the most urgent ones. The European Green Deal [1] defines the actions to be taken, including decarbonization of all the economic sectors by 2050. This can be achieved by implementing alternative, environmentally friendly technologies into the manufacturing processes. The focus should be on the sectors that are currently the main contributors to energy consumption and pollution. This is the case in the ceramics industry. Ceramics can be highly damaging to natural and social systems during their lifecycle. European manufacturers of ceramics (including, refractories, wall and floor tiles, and bricks and roof tile) emit Mt CO2 per year 19, while globally, bricks manufacturing is responsible for 2.7% of carbon emissions annually. In addition, the current energy crises, caused by geopolitical constraints with unpredictable gas prices, are severally aggravating the ceramics industry jeopardizing even its existence, at least in Europe. So, it is imperative to take action, widen the discussion, involve all the stakeholders, and influence decision-makers.

It is precisely within this context that lies the motivation behind this workshop. Workshop on Energy and Decarbonization of the Ceramics Industry aims to discuss the decarbonization of the ceramics industry through a holistic point of view. We intend to identify and discuss: 1. the main determinants of energy and carbon emissions emerging from the ceramics industry; 2. the benefits to the ceramic industry from adopting more low-carbon technologies and identification of barriers to implementing it; 3. current and new alternatives for implementation and research. Read more

This seminar will set out the challenge and inform the debate on three critical environmental areas Read more