Assessing Pathways to Carbon Neutrality in the Ceramic Sector: A Prospective Life Cycle Assessment under Energy System Projections and Technology Scenarios

TL;DR

This study explores ways to reduce carbon emissions in ceramic brick production by evaluating different technologies and energy scenarios.

Contribution

The study introduces a prospective life cycle assessment of decarbonization pathways in the ceramic sector using detailed industrial data and energy projections.

Findings

Using heat pumps for low-temperature drying can reduce global warming potential by up to 24%.

Fuel-switching to hydrogen or biogas can reduce global warming potential by around 85% under net-zero conditions.

Biogas combustion with carbon capture and storage achieves net-negative emissions, reaching up to −73.05 kg CO2-eq per tonne by 2050.

Abstract

Ceramic manufacturing is a hard-to-abate industry given
its intrinsic
reliance on high-temperature operations and fossil-based thermal energy.
Capitalizing on detailed industrial data, this study presents a prospective
life cycle assessment of decarbonization pathways for ceramic brick
production grounded in forward-looking energy system projections.
Six technology adoption scenarios are evaluated for 2020 and 2050
under both current policy and net-zero trajectories. Results show
that integrating heat pumps today for low-temperature drying can reduce
the global warming potential (GWP) by up to 24% compared to continued
natural gas use. Fuel-switching to hydrogen or biogas enables substantial
reductions in the GWP of around 85% under net-zero conditions. Notably,
coupling biogas combustion with carbon capture and storage (CCS) already
achieves net-negative emissions, reaching −29.95 kg CO2-eq per tonne in 2020 and up to −73.05 kg by 2050,
positioning it as a viable carbon dioxide removal strategy. However,
several scenarios exhibit important trade-offs, including increased
water consumption and land occupation, particularly in hydrogen and
biobased pathways. Our findings underscore the need for integrated
policies and multicriteria decision-making considering impacts beyond
climate change to align energy transition and technology adoption,
ensuring decarbonization strategies in the ceramic sector are both
practical and sustainable.

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