image: 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)
Ceramic tile manufacturing is a process that demands intensive energy use (30–40 kW/m²) and resources (0.02 t/m² of raw materials and 0.010 m³/m² of water). About 90% of the energy consumed comes from the combustion of natural gas. The spray-drying stage alone accounts for 95% of water use, 34% of energy consumption (mainly thermal), and 32% of CO₂ emissions. These figures highlight the urgent need to improve the sustainability of this process in order to reduce waste and water use, and to contribute to the challenge of decarbonization.
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.
The technology introduces a new method for preparing spray-dried powder for porcelain tile manufacturing, building on previous experience in porous ceramic wall tiles production. Once validated for the new material, a pilot implementation is planned at an end-user site, followed by deployment in other countries. Finally, an environmental assessment will compare this new process with traditional manufacturing methods.
The expected outcomes of the project include a 25–30% reduction in energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a 10–20% decrease in raw material and water consumption. The project also aims to enable the use of secondary raw materials, such as waste and by-products, and to replace feldspar, a critical raw material in the EU, with alternative resources.
As part of the project’s development, the HypocarbonTileTech network will also be established — a platform to promote collaboration on decarbonization, renewable energy and waste management among stakeholders across the ceramic tile value chain. Its goal is to raise awareness among students, researchers and professionals in the sector, and to develop and share policy documents with authorities to ensure the project’s long-term impact.
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.
For more than three decades, the IUTC-UJI has supported the Spanish ceramic sector through R&D, technological consultancy, testing and training. Its team of 25 professionals conducts research covering everything from raw materials to finished ceramic products, with a focus on applied chemical engineering. In recent years, its projects have increasingly centered on sustainability and decarbonization.
European Territorial Cooperation (ETC), better known as Interreg, is a funding instrument under the EU Cohesion Policy designed to promote regional development through cooperation between European regions at various levels. It operates across five main strands: cross-border, transnational, interregional, outermost regions and neighbourhood cooperation.
Interreg NEXT MED — Mediterranean Basin, part of the neighbourhood strand, addresses four political priorities for the 2021–2027 period: smart, green, social, and governance. The cooperation area spans 15 countries—Cyprus, Egypt, Spain, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Jordan, Malta, Palestine, Portugal, and Tunisia—plus two new members, Algeria and Turkey.
Further information: https://www.interregnextmed.eu/project-page/innovatile/about/