A project to explore the hydrogen route to decarbonising the UK ceramics sector has received a major funding boost.
The British Ceramic Confederation has secured around £6 million of Government cash to support further research into the use of the gas as an alternative fuel.
As a result the first-ever demonstrations of 100 per cent hydrogen-firing technologies for the two main types of kilns (batch and continuous) will be carried out.
The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero has awarded the funding through the Industrial Fuel Switching Phase 2 Competition.
The award is made as part of the £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), which supports innovation in the development of pre-commercial fuel switch technologies to help industry switch from high to lower carbon fuels.
The Industrial Fuel Switching funding will allow Phase 2 of the ‘Hydrogen for the Ceramics Sector’ project to be taken forward.
The Phase 2 project follows a successful six-month study, conducted last year, which demonstrated the potential for firing a range of ceramic products using 100 per cent hydrogen, without affecting product performance or properties.
Phase 2 will be supported by 15 ceramic manufacturing companies, spanning all subsectors of the UK ceramics industry.
Following on from the work they carried out for BCC in Phase 1, further support will be provided by the not-for-profit research and technology organisation, Glass Futures.
BCC Deputy Chief Executive Andrew McDermott said: “Phase 1 answered a lot of questions about the feasibility of hydrogen as a fuel for the ceramics sector and the next phase will build upon these outputs.
“It will evaluate a far greater range of ceramic products, gaseous blends and firing atmospheres in a bespoke pilot kiln, as well as conducting demonstrations on production kilns, to build understanding in using hydrogen within an industrial environment.
“As for achieving net zero by 2050, the UK ceramic industry’s pathway to meet that target remains uncertain, with many of the technologies that will enable deep decarbonisation, such as hydrogen, electrification, carbon capture and bioenergy, either commercially unviable or simply unavailable.
“Therefore, we expect Phase 2 to demonstrate a key route to help decarbonise the UK ceramic sector.”
