Ceramic Industry contribution to a Circular Economy

Abstract

Today's linear economic model (" take, make, dispose ") is reaching its physical limits due to the shortage of resources (raw materials and energy) to meet present needs. The transition to a circular economy is an attractive and viable alternative that organizations have started to explore, since it offers several value-creating mechanisms dissociated from the consumption of finite resources. This article examines the feasibility of the application of circular economy strategies in the ceramic industry, highlighting the key benefits and obstacles. Practical examples of studies conducted in this context are presented, revealing a positive feedback that shows the ability of the ceramic industry for eco-innovation. However, several aspects can be improved in order to optimize this process, for example, the uncertainty of the quality of secondary raw materials, legal and bureaucratic difficulties regarding waste and high associated costs.

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CINCOS’16
CongressodeInovaçãonaConstruçãoSustentável
CongressofInnovationonSustainableConstruction
Ceramic Industry contribution to a Circular Economy
Almeida, Marisa I. 1, Simões, F.1,3, Dias, B. 1, Francisco, V.1, Amado, A.1
1 Centro Tecnológico da Cerâmica e do Vidro – Rua Coronel Veiga Simão – 3025-307 COIMBRA,
marisa@ctcv.pt.
3 Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
ABSTRACT
Today’s linear economic model (“take, make, dispose”) is reaching its physical limits due to the
shortage of resources (raw materials and energy) to meet present needs.
The transition to a circular economy is an attractive and viable alternative that organizations
have started to explore, since it offers several value-creating mechanisms dissociated from the
consumption of finite resources.
This article examines the feasibility of the application of circular economy strategies in the
ceramic industry, highlighting the key benefits and obstacles. Practical examples of studies
conducted in this context are presented, revealing a positive feedback that shows the ability of
the ceramic industry for eco-innovation. However, several aspects can be improved in order to
optimize this process, for example, the uncertainty of the quality of secondary raw materials,
legal and bureaucratic difficulties regarding waste and high associated costs.
Keywords: Circular Economy, Ceramic Industry, Ecodesign, Waste Recovery.
Theme: 4 – Circular Economy and Habitat.
INTRODUCTION
Circular Economy is a "response to the desire for sustainable growth in the context of the
increasing pressure that the production and consumption have on the environment and global
resources" [1]. It is regenerative and restorative by design and aims to keep products,
components and materials at their highest utility and value at all times [2].
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Figure 1 - Circular Economy vs. Linear Economy [1].
The economy has worked in a linear model of "collection, production and disposal", where all
the products eventually reach an "end of life" status. This leads to an increase in demand for

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scarce resources, and consequently, to a greater environmental degradation. Resources such
as minerals and metals, fossil fuels, food, fertile soils and clean water have become scarce,
thus, the continuous application of the linear model that depends exclusively on the extraction of
natural resources with limited availability is not feasible. The transition to a circular economy
redirects the focus to the reuse, repair, renovation and recycling of materials and existing
products, i.e. what was seen as a "waste" can be transformed into a resource (Figure 1).
TRANSITION SUPPORT POLICY
The transition to a circular economy is an essential element set by the European Union and
their respective Member States on the 7th Environment Action Programme [3]:
«Our prosperity and healthy environment stem from an innovative, circular economy where
nothing is wasted and where natural resources are managed sustainably, and biodiversity is
protected, valued and restored in ways that enhance our society’s resilience. Our low-carbon
growth has long been decoupled from resource use, setting the pace for a safe and sustainable
global society. »
The resource-efficient Europe is one of the seven flagship initiatives as part of the Europe 2020
strategy aiming to deliver smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, noting that “in a world with
growing pressures on resources and the environment, the EU has no choice but to go for the
transition to a resource-efficient and ultimately regenerative circular economy.” This initiative
aims to contribute to decouple economic growth from resource use, ensure the transition to a
low carbon economy, increase the use of renewable energy sources, modernize the transport
sector and promote energy efficiency [4].
It provides a long-term framework for action in many policy areas, supporting policy agendas for
climate change, energy, transport, industry, raw materials, agriculture, fisheries, biodiversity and
regional development, creating a secure environment conducive to investment and innovation. It
also intends to respond to the challenges created by an economy heavily dependent on natural
resources and the need to ensure the transition to a low-carbon economy, through the [4]:
 Development of a long-term shared European vision on the efficient use of resources,
merging administrations, businesses and citizens, and promoting a more effective
action through the combined efforts of all parties;
 Development of well-founded policies on climate change, energy, transport, raw
materials, agriculture, fisheries and biodiversity, taking into account the requirements in
terms of efficiency and that include monitoring tools;
 Creation of instruments to protect the ecological patrimony essential to maintain the
current and future quality of life;
 Promotion of strategies that reduce the dependence on imports of materials and fuel,
allowing the European economy to anticipate the rising costs of energy and products.
There are several strategies that can be applied in order to improve resource efficiency, for
example, the dematerialization of goods and services, ecodesign, life cycle thinking, prevention
of waste production, product life cycle extension and industrial symbioses.
Economic activities have a key role in this transition, since they can redefine their production
chains aiming at the efficiency and circularity of natural resources (where materials are
introduced into another life cycle through reuse, recovery and recycling). This can result in the
creation of new markets that respond to changes in consumption patterns, evolving towards the
use, reuse and sharing of products, and contributing to the creation of more and better jobs [1].
BENEFITS AND OBSTACLES
The use of by-products by the industry itself or as raw material for other industries has as main
advantages, cost reduction facilitating the supply of raw materials and the elimination of
polluting waste accumulation. To move in this direction, the creation of synergies between

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companies and research investment projects will be essential to develop a closed circuit, where
the waste and by-products can be reused [5].
The Kalundborg Symbiosis is the world’s first well-functioning example of industrial symbiosis. It
currently consists in eight companies, public and private, who buy and sell each other waste
products in a closed cycle, so that the waste from one company is used as a resource by
another. Several derivatives are negotiated, such as, steam, ash, gas, heat, mud and others
that can be physically transformed from one company to another. This park has become an
example of effective resource saving and recycling of materials in industrial production. The
environmental benefits are a priority; however, the main motivation in establishing symbiotic
relationships is related to the economic benefit of the participating companies [6].
Despite the advantages offered to manufacturers in terms of cost and materials, many
companies are faced with legal and bureaucratic obstacles hindering the transition to a circular
economy. Another complication that arises for operators who want to use secondary raw
materials is the uncertainty as to its quality, since it is difficult to determine the levels of
impurities or suitability for a high quality recycling [7]. Therefore, a development in the
bureaucracy on waste and the existence of quality standards applicable to secondary raw
materials become indispensable.
CERAMIC INDUSTRY
Cerame-Unie, representing the ceramic industry in Europe, stresses that resource efficiency
requires a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach that takes into account all stages of the
product, including its durability, lifespan and reduction of resource consumption over the use
phase.
To reach a circular economy, this industry has invested in several innovations, such as, the
reuse of roof tiles and the recycling of ceramic materials from construction and demolition waste
that can be crushed and then used as secondary raw materials for different applications [8].
However, for these options to be viable there must be an adequate access to raw materials as
well as separation and processing of waste and a well-functioning market for secondary raw
materials.
i) Ecodesign and life cycle thinking
Ecodesign is the "systematic integration of environmental considerations in product design"
since it is estimated that this stage is responsible for 70% to 80% of environmental impacts
related to the product [9]. The application of this concept from the beginning of the development
process optimizes the environmental profile of the product at all stages of their life cycle, i.e.,
the extraction of raw materials and additives, manufacturing process, distribution, use (may
include construction) and end of life.
Thus, seeks to integrate an approach to life cycle thinking where it considers all the relevant
environmental aspects (product) throughout their life cycle.
Many innovations applied to ceramic products can be classified as ecodesign strategies [9]:
Table 1 – Examples of ecodesign strategies applied in ceramic products.
Ecodesign
Strategy Activity Examples
Selection of low-
impact materials
Incorporation of
waste
Incorporation of industrial waste in the production
of ceramic tiles, reaching up to 80% recycled
material by weight while retaining the strength and
versatility (Green Earth, Roca).
Incorporation up to 90% recycled materials in the
production of ceramic tiles (Ecotech, Revigres,
developed under the project InEDIC).

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Reduction of the
material use
Reduction in
products thickness
Reduction in tile thickness from 12 mm to 4 mm
(Light ceramic floor tile – Revigres).
There are several examples of tiles with reduced
thickness marketed by other brands.
Reduction of the
environmental
impact during the
production phase
Reduction of breaks
in production and,
therefore, efficiency
losses
Avoid complex shapes, right angles and changes
in the wall thickness of the piece, since these can
cause the appearance of cracks in production
(Designer: Dulce Fernandes).
Reduction of the
environmental
impact in the use
phase
High efficiency
construction
elements
New bricks with high thermal, mechanical and
acoustic performances that improves the energy
performance of the building. (CBloco, CTCV).
Multifunction products – SolarTiles – Integrated
photovoltaic into ceramic products for high
efficiency for building coatings (roof and facade
claddings) incorporating thin-film photovoltaic
cells.
Easy clean and selfclean - Ceramic coating with
self-cleaning properties, purifying functions, high
efficiency and durability, by modifying its surface
with nanostructured photocatalytic materials.
ThermoCer - Ceramic tiles with phase change
materials (PCM) to improve thermal characteristic
and then the energy efficiency in buildings.
Multifunction products – Minimus (Costa Verde),
developed under the InEDIC project.
Optimizing the
end-of-life
systems
New method for
installation and
dismantling
Raised Technical Floor that reduces building
waste and facilitates waste separation, allowing
the incorporation of radiant heating systems under
the flooring (Raised Technical Floor,
Porcelanosa).
ii) Waste prevention and recovery
Over the past few years, CTCV has developed waste incorporation studies, particularly in the
structural ceramics industry through the use of waste and by-products generated by the industry
itself (dust, mud and shards) thereby minimizing the extraction of natural resources and
enhancing a circular economy, and the recovery of waste from other sectors in ceramic matrices
(see a.) [10].
a. Case Studies
The ceramic industry is a sector with high potential for incorporation/recovery of wastes, both
ceramic waste and other wastes or byproducts from industrial sectors. CTCV has made a series
of waste incorporation tests, such as WWTP sludge, WTP sludge, cellulose residues, forest
residues, cork dust, metallurgical industry waste, fly ash, tannery sludge, natural stone cutting
sludge, fluorescent lamps waste, etc., mainly in ceramic materials in the branch of structural
ceramics, flooring and lightweight aggregates. In addition to the development of a sustainable
path for waste, it is introduced a new production cycle where a waste becomes a resource and
in parallel develops innovative products with improved thermal and/or acoustical characteristics
[10-11].
One of the studies conducted aimed at the replacement of a certain percentage of clay (natural
raw material) by residues produced in a municipal solid waste incineration process referred as
Air Pollution Control (APC) residues. The main objective of this work concerned the prediction
of the quantity of the waste that can be valorized as lightweight aggregates.

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The results points out that no more than 5% of APC residues should be considered, however, a
pre-washing treatment can improve the waste characteristics being then possible to increase
the amount of residue that can be incorporated in percentages below 10% [12].
It was also performed a study regarding the incorporation of cellulose waste into the production
of expanded-clay lightweight aggregates to be further used in construction industry. The results
obtained in the leaching test showed that the amounts of particles, NOx, SOx, HF, HCl, CO,
organic and heavy metals produced are well below the legal criteria, which points out that these
lightweight aggregates have negligible contaminant potential. The gaseous emissions were also
similar to the ones with no addition. From the industrial testing, moderate additions of cellulose
residues to clay originate useful expanded lightweight aggregates being an alternative route in
the valorization of a waste [13].
Another study was conducted in order to assess the effect of the incorporation of residues from
the foundry industry in ceramic composition for industrial use, i.e., fine blasting and fine kiln
dedusting. To this end, ceramic tests were performed after drying and firing processes with a
residue incorporation of 1%, 3% and 5%. The results showed that the addition of these residues
to a percentage up to 3% does not induce significant adverse interference on the ceramic
product properties and characteristics. On the other hand, at 5% there are some issues in terms
of the material’s mechanical strength and gaseous emissions [14].
Despite the small percentage of waste incorporated, the valorisation of these wastes is possible
without compromising the final product properties and quality, being necessary a continuous
investment in developing techniques to optimize this process.
FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
As demonstrated in the case studies above, the ceramic industry has the ability to innovate the
manufacturing process and reuse waste/by-products produced in their own industry and other
industries, promoting circular economy strategies and industrial symbioses.
The recovery of waste has progressively evolved over the past few years, however it is far from
the ideal situation, mainly due to bureaucratic obstacles, high costs associated (particularly
when they require preprocessing) and waste characteristics (and its inhomogeneity). There are
still many aspects that can be improved, such as the recycling approaches in open and closed
circuits, the existence of a properly functioning market for recycled materials and avoid an "one
size fits all" approach, requiring a sector-specific solution [8].
REFERENCES
[1] Comissão Europeia (2014). A Economia Circular – Interligação, criação e conservação de
valor.
[2] Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2012). Towards the circular economy 1: economic and
business rationale for an accelerated transition. Cowes, Isle of Wight: Ellen MacArthur
Foundation.
[3] Comissão Europeia (2013), “Viver bem, dentro dos limites do nosso planeta” – 7.º PAA – o
Programa Geral de Ação da União para 2020 em matéria de Ambiente.
[4] Comissão Europeia (2011), Uma Europa eficiente em termos de recursos – Iniciativa
emblemática da estratégia Europa 2020.
[5] BCSD Portugal – Conselho Empresarial para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável (2013). Ação
2020 – Soluções Empresariais para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável.
[6] Leitão, Alexandra (2015). Economia circular: uma nova filosofia de gestão para o séc. XXI.
Portuguese Journal of Finance, Management and Accounting. Universidade Católica
Portuguesa, Faculdade de Economia e Gestão do Porto.
[7] Comissão Europeia (2015). Fechar o ciclo – plano de ação da EU para a economia circular.
Bruxelas.
[8] Cerame-Unie – The European Ceramic Industry Association (2014). Cerame-Unie’s Views
on Resource Efficiency & the Circular Economy Package. Brussels.

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[9] InEDIC – Innovation and ecodesign in the ceramic industry (2011). Manual de Ecodesign.
[10] Almeida M.; Vaz S.; Baio Dias;, Impactes Ambientais e Comércio de Emissões, Indústria
Cerâmica - Um caso de estudo, ed. APICER - Associação Portuguesa da Indústria Cerâmica,
Coimbra, (2004).
[11] Almeida, Marisa; Amaral, R., Correia, A.M.S., Almeida, M. F. “Incorporação de Resíduos
em Materiais Cerâmicos”, Revista KERAMICA nº 245, págs 22-32, Jan/Fev 2001.
[12] Quina, Margarida J., Almeida, Marisa A., Santos, Regina C., Bordado, João C.M., Quinta-
Ferreira, Rosa M. (2006) Prediction of Solid Waste Incineration Residues Quantity for
Valorization in Lightweight Aggregates. Materials Science Forum Vols. 514-516. Trans Tech
Publications, Switzerland.
[13] Pinto, S., Almeida, M., Correia, A.M.S., Labrincha, J.A., Ferreira, V.M., Rosenbom, K.
(2004). Study on the environmental impact of lightweight aggregates production incorporating
cellulose industrial residues. International RILEM Conference on the Use of Recycled Materials
in Buildings and Structures. Barcelona, Spain.
[14] Ferraz, E., Amado, A., Almeida, M., Frade, P. (2009). Inertização de Finos Da Indústria de
Fundição. CTCV, Portugal.