The EU funds the INNOVATILE project, coordinated by the IUTC-UJI, to pave the way for sustainable ceramic tile manufacturing (IMAGE)
Caption
In the photo, the research team of the consortium at the Ceramic Technology Institute of UJI
A consortium made up of three research institutions and four organizations from key European regions in ceramic tile production has launched the INNOVATILE project, funded by the European Union through the Interreg NEXT MED Programme. The project promotes a new, more sustainable technology aimed at significantly reducing the environmental impact of ceramic tile manufacturing, potentially cutting production costs by around 10%.
The initiative, coordinated by the University Institute of Ceramic Technology (IUTC) of the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló, seeks to lower energy and resource consumption in ceramic tile production by implementing an innovative atomised powder production process. This technology is designed to minimize the use of energy, water and raw materials during the drying stage of raw materials. The project has a total budget of €2,800,575.65, of which the EU provides €2,492,512.33, covering 89% of the total cost.
In addition to the IUTC-UJI, which is responsible for the coordination, the consortium includes the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (Italy), the National Engineering School of Gafsa (Tunisia), and the companies Kaleseramik, Çanakkale Kalebodur Seramik San. A.Ş. and Çanakkale Teknoloji Geliştirme Bölgesi A.Ş. (Turkey), ATLANTIS Environment and Innovation Ltd. (Cyprus), and the Egyptian Center for Innovation & Technology Development (Egypt).
Teams from the seven partner institucions met this week at the public university of Castelló for the project’s kick-off meeting. The welcome event included the participation of the Vice-Rector for Innovation, Transfer and Scientific Outreach, David Cabedo; the coordinator of the Interreg NEXT MED office for the Western Mediterranean, Vincent Ernoux, and the management coordinator for the Innovatile project, Enrique Sánchez.
This partnership brings together four of the world’s ten leading ceramic tile-producing countries (Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Egypt) which together account for 10% of global output. The project will therefore be able to engage with major international ceramic tile manufacturers. Moreover, the secondary raw materials inventory developed through INNOVATILE will benefit not only the ceramic industry but also other sectors by providing data on available secondary materials in their regions.
Credit
Damián Llorens (Universitat Jaume I of Castellón)
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