The ePORCEL project aims to develop innovative solutions for the production of porcelain pieces, investing in electric kiln firing and additive manufacturing as a new approach to the production process. The initiative, led by the company Porcel SA, with the participation of the University of Aveiro (UA) and the company Mota II, seeks to make manufacturing more efficient and sustainable, reducing energy consumption and the carbon footprint associated with production.

Porcelain tile production is an industrial process with high energy costs, with significant implications in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The transition to more efficient and lower-carbon production models is currently one of the main challenges for the porcelain tile industry. At the same time, it represents an opportunity to align production with the environmental and climate goals established at the European level, contributing to a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

In this context, the focus on research, technological innovation, and collaboration between industry and academia plays a crucial role. The development of new materials, more efficient production processes, and solutions that reduce energy consumption and emissions associated with production is gaining relevance in the sector, reflecting companies' efforts to respond to environmental challenges and demands for sustainability. It is within this context that applied research initiatives emerge, focused on transforming industrial processes and creating products with a lower environmental impact.

The ePORCEL project – Research & Development of New Fine Porcelain Tableware Products with Disruptive Performance in Mitigating Adverse Environmental Impacts, approved under the SIID – Business R&D – Co-promotion notice, led by PORCEL – Indústria Portuguesa de Porcelanas, S.A., in consortium with MOTA II Soluções Cerâmicas, S.A. and UA, is an example of this.

The partnership brings together industrial and scientific skills with the aim of developing technological solutions that contribute to increasing the efficiency and sustainability of porcelain tile production.

One of the project's main lines of action is focused on reformulating the raw materials that constitute the ceramic paste and slip used in the production process. This intervention aims to reduce the thermal cycle temperatures by approximately 100 °C (from 1400 °C to temperatures below 1300 °C), which could translate into a significant improvement in process efficiency and a decrease in CO2 emissions, without compromising the final quality of the products, maintaining similar characteristic parameters of porcelain (whiteness, translucency, and hardness).

Additive Manufacturing and Life Cycle Assessment

At the same time, the project proposes the adoption of additive manufacturing technologies based on extrusion for the production of porcelain pieces with complex and differentiating geometries. This approach aims to create new alternatives to traditional shaping methods, opening up more flexible design and production possibilities for the porcelain sector.

The project also includes the application of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, with the objective of evaluating the environmental sustainability of the new solutions and processes developed. This methodology will allow us to quantify the environmental impacts associated with the reformulation of raw materials and the introduction of additive manufacturing technologies, comparing them with the conventional processes currently used in porcelain production.

The project leadership at Porcel is in the hands of Miguel Roque Bouça, the company's director. At Mota II, the project is led by Paulo Mónica, an engineer. At UA, the work is the responsibility of Susana Olhero, professor in the Department of Materials and Ceramics Engineering (DEMaC) and researcher at CICECO-Instituto de Materiais de Aveiro, with the collaboration of João Labrincha, professor at DEMaC, and Ana Cláudia Dias, researcher in the Department of Environment and Planning and member of the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM).

The ePORCEL project presents itself as a technically relevant initiative in the context of the energy transition of the ceramic industry and represents an opportunity to align production with the environmental and climate goals established at the European level, contributing to a more sustainable and low-carbon economy. It received support from the Centro 2030 program, within the framework of the Business Competitiveness Incentive System for Business Research and Development, involving an eligible investment of €1,099,756.48, with a FEDER incentive of €763,379.69.