An international blueprint for the decarbonization of energy-intensive industries is taking shape, after Lucideon successfully completed the first 100% hydrogen firing at a multi-million-pound open-access centre, which supports research and development in the advanced ceramics industry.
Hydrogen 1 - Sanitaryware before firing in hydrogen kiln at The AMRICC Centre. Image Credit: Lucideon
Lucideon, an advanced ceramics research organisation, worked with Creavit Türkiye on the alternative energy project to successfully fire sanitaryware solely by hydrogen, over 13 hours at 1200 °C, at the £10 million AMRICC Centre, based in Staffordshire.
Firing using 100% hydrogen represents a significant first in the innovation stakes for The AMRICC Centre, which operates under an open-access format, ensuring materials, processes, and technologies can be developed at a commercially relevant scale and shared across industrial and academic fields.
The facilities have enabled Lucideon to pave the way for energy-intensive industries, such as bricks, roof tiles, tableware, and sanitary ware, to utilise hydrogen in their energy strategies, while the firing of ceramic cores in the kiln could help the decarbonisation of aeroengine component manufacture.
In-keeping with the innovative nature of the project, the hardware used in the process was also partially funded by the Innovate UK EconoMISER programme, awarded to the Foundation Industries Sustainability Consortium (FISC), of which Lucideon is one of five partners.
Mark Dudson, Chief Operating Officer, Advanced Materials at Lucideon, oversaw the project.
He said: “After leading the way on blended natural gas and hydrogen in 2022 and an intensive project to redesign the kiln and fuel supply system, Lucideon and The AMRICC Centre marked another major milestone in the mission to support the international ceramics industry on the journey to Net Zero.
“The team is now gearing up to start delivering client project work and it is great to see the strong international interest in the use of hydrogen as part of the ceramic industry’s decarbonization journey.”
Lucideon joined forces with gas specialists BUSE Group, along with Cryoserve Engineering Services, Therser UK ltd, and 6 Engineering Ltd, to achieve the successful outcome.
The AMRICC Centre is the physical outcome from the Midlands Industrial Ceramics Group’s (MICG) £18.27 million four-year research programme, funded by Government under UK Research and Innovation’s flagship Strength in Places Fund in 2021.
Alongside an equipment suite featuring over 350 pieces of high-value technology, The AMRICC Centre collectively offers unique capabilities for users - coupled with the expertise of scientists, engineers, data scientists, and computational modellers to turn innovative ideas into market-ready technologies.
An important part of The AMRICC Centre’s remit is to partner with universities to provide an educational facility to train and support material scientists for the future, developing pipelines of talent from degree apprentices, through to post-doctoral graduates, to create new, educated, ambitious talent for the UK ceramics industry.