Carburos Metálicos has successfully concluded its participation in a pioneering initiative to accompany the ceramic and glass manufacturing industry on its path to decarbonization, in line with the national and European objectives that set the year 2050 as the deadline to achieve an economy with a neutral balance in CO₂ emissions.

One of the alternatives available to the ceramic sector to advance towards this objective is the transition to mixtures of natural gas and H₂ in ceramic tile firing kilns, as well as in frit melting kilns. The Institute of Ceramic Technology (ITC-AICE) of Castellón, a reference in this field in Spain, is leading a study that is part of the project called Experimental study on a laboratory scale of ceramic firing using H₂ as fuel (Hidroker). Said study, financed by the Generalitat Valenciana through the Valencian Institute of Business Competitiveness (IVACE), focuses on the use of H₂ as a direct source of thermal energy by combustion in the drying and cooking processes.

The Air Products and Air Products combustion team has been in charge of providing the mixing panel and the precise combination of natural gas and H₂ that has helped achieve controlled combustion with conventional burners and up to 20% H₂, a whole milestone in the ceramic industry. Over several decades, Air Products has accumulated a wealth of experience in supplying H₂ to different industries and has been developing technologies and products for these segments for more than 30 years.

Pioneering and successful test

This experience accumulated by the group has proven to be very valuable for accompanying companies in the ceramic sector in Spain in their goal of gradually replacing natural gas with H₂ and thereby reducing their CO₂ emissions. In this sense, the test in which technicians from Carburos Metálicos and Air Products have collaborated is even more important, since it was the first time that the ITC used H₂ in a ceramic kiln.

The Air Products and Air Products team has provided the H₂ mixing panel and the precise combination of natural gas and H₂ that has contributed to achieving controlled combustion with conventional burners with up to 20% H₂, a milestone in the ceramic industry. The immediate objective is to prolong this collaboration with the ITC in such a way that higher percentages of H₂ are achieved, which will require, in turn, the adaptation of current combustion systems and burners, with an eye toward achieving 100% this gas in the near future.

Air Product technology to reduce CO₂ emissions

Air Products has successfully developed and tested burners that use up to 100% H₂ and both air and oxygen as oxidants. The know-how from these developments, coupled with decades of experience in the production, handling and distribution of H₂, have contributed to the success of the tests at ITC.

Other industries, such as metallurgy, glass and frits, can also benefit from the systems created by the group to improve their quality and sustainability. The industry is currently in the first phases of testing H₂ in its processes, a transition to this element that still involves the use of small volumes, but that will allow acquiring experience in handling H₂ and, therefore, optimizing the tools, technologies and procedures to adopt the use of 100% H₂ as a fuel in a safe, efficient and economical way. In fact, this could be the most promising path towards decarbonization of the glass industry.

The Air Products group also has a significant portfolio of technologies and operational experience in oxygen-enhanced combustion, from which these industries can equally benefit. This process relies on oxygen enrichment or flame cutting to improve the efficiency and productivity of heating and melting furnaces. By moving from the traditional air-fuel combustion system to an oxy-fuel one, it has been shown that the energy required can be reduced by up to 40%, which in turn can translate into 40% less direct greenhouse gas emissions. CO₂, among other pollutants generated by these processes. The reason is that the use of pure oxygen (instead of air) is more efficient, since the fuel reacts much faster with the oxygen, and this increases the temperature of the flame up to around 1,000°C. Air Products' oxy-fuel burners also support the combustion of natural gas and H₂ mixtures, offering a direct path to reducing carbon footprint without generating higher ceramic kiln wall temperatures, elevated CO₂ emissions, nitrogen or inefficiencies in the glass melting process.

On the other hand, the company is working on reducing CO₂ emissions generated by the production and transport of oxygen, making it possible to make this a green or renewable oxygen.

“The ceramic sector is intensive in the use of thermal energy and the margin for reducing direct emissions from its production processes is certainly limited if it does not substantially modify the technologies and energy sources it uses. The research led by the Institute of Ceramic Technology represents a first step to incorporate hydrogen into this industry, a molecule of great interest to achieve the planned decarbonization objectives,” said Dr. Salvador Ferrer, from the ITC Sustainability Area.

“At Carburos Metálicos we have the experience and technology of the Air Products group that covers, among other areas, the entire hydrogen value chain. We are working on the development of new solutions and technologies to support the ceramic, frit and glass industry in its decarbonization goals. Contributing to achieving low-carbon combustion using hydrogen mixtures has been a very important step that we are very proud of,” said Miquel Lope, general director of Carburos Metálicos.