we receive e we publish the following press release issued by Italcer.
italcer, benefit hub company for Made in Italy ceramic design, today announced that it has taken another important step towards its 2030 energy saving objectives, thanks to the installation of the 100% electric oven in the factory Team Ceramics in Onda, Castellón, Spain.
The Italcer Group, which has always been committed to the challenge of decarbonising the production process, through Equipe has launched a research project in collaboration with the Jaume I University of Castellón and the Systemfoc company which will allow, thanks to the 100% electric oven, to save 1.500 tons of CO2 year.
The project was developed with the aim of completely eliminating direct CO emissions.2 in the cooking phase, without compromising the technical-economic sustainability of the products made and represents the first step towards achieving the CO reduction objectives2 of the 2030 agenda.
It is worth remembering that the firing process with natural gas ceramic kilns – still the fuel available in nature with the lowest environmental impact – consumes over 60% of the energy of the entire production process, so decarbonisation at this stage is essential to reduce emissions from the ceramic industry.
The project addressed two challenges simultaneously: on the one hand, the total electrification of the cooking phase, replacing the gas oven with a 100% electric one, powered almost exclusively by energy from renewable sources, on the other hand, theor study of a new formulation of raw materials to minimize emissions from thermal decompositions in the cooking process.
The project also includes the optimization of the formulation of raw materials so that the product has excellent technical and aesthetic performance, for its perfect adaptation to the change in cooking technology from combustion to electric oven.
Italcer has also designed, after years of research, and patented, a cutting-edge plant aimed at the capture and transformation fixation of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere by its production plants, as well as the transformation and recovery of other organic and inorganic pollutants present.
Rogelio Vila Rodríguez, General Manager of Equipe Cerámicas: “The start-up of this electric furnace is a first step in our strategy towards the total electrification of the production process and the complete elimination of CO emissions.2 There are many advantages of an electric furnace compared to combustion furnaces with a mixture of green hydrogen and natural gas, such as the immediacy of its start-up without the need for infrastructure to channel the gas, lower energy consumption and the possibility of giving energy autonomy to the company if we combine it with the installation of electricity generation and self-consumption systems.”
Graziano Verdi, CEO of Italcer Group explains: “The implementation of these projects at an industrial level is a fundamental and concrete step in the path towards the decarbonization of the Group. Thanks to the significant use of electricity from renewable sources, a significant reduction in direct CO emissions is achieved2 in the atmosphere and at the same time, since natural gas is a fundamental energy component in the ecological transition, the patent relating to the capture of CO2 just obtained, will allow Italcer Group to promote sustainable and eco-friendly ceramic products, resulting from innovative and efficient production processes, based on the principles of the circular economy. In 2023 alone, our group invested 5 million euros in social and environmental projects”.
Team Ceramics, founded in 1999 in Castellon, Spain, is currently a world leader in the small format floor and wall coverings sector. Today Equipe has more than 350 employees and its products are present all over the world, with Europe and America as its main markets.
ITALCER GROUP
The Italcer Group, a leading Italian group in the reference sector, led by Graziano Verdi and controlled by the investment funds Mindful Capital Partners, Miura Partners and Capital Dynamics, boasts hundreds of completed projects, 15.000 customers worldwide and over 1.100 employees. Today it operates through high-end brands and historic industrial companies in the ceramic sector that produce excellent products for interiors and exteriors and are part of: Fondovalle, La Fabbrica-AVA, Elios Ceramica, Devon&Devon, Ceramica Rondine, Bottega, Equipe Cerámicas, Opificio Ceramico and Terratinta.
