ENERGY-SAVING CERAMIC FLOOR TILES

The production of ceramic floor tiles has evolved relatively quickly, with the transition from single-fired to porcelain stoneware tiles and the increase in sizes from 30×30 cm up to today’s 60×120 cm.
These changes have made it necessary to introduce new, more energy-hungry technologies, at the expense of environmental concerns.

Now, greater awareness of environmental sustainability has led Emilceramica Group to install state-of-the-art production plants, capable of producing ceramic floor tiles with considerably less impact than in the past.

When the market began to demand larger and larger sizes, producers upgraded their plants with kilns capable of handling sizes such as 80×80 cm and 60×120 cm, porcelain stoneware slabs allowing more continuous laying with minimal use of joints (i.e. grouted gaps between one tile and the next).
This enables ceramic floor tiles to form an even, unbroken surface, beautiful in appearance and easier to maintain.

The tiles are fired in a kiln which uses natural gas like an ordinary kiln, with a number of differences, such as the temperature, as high as 1220°C, and the fact that the “raw” tiles travel on conveyor rollers. The figures relating to the new purchase for the production of large sizes are staggering: 123 metres long, costing 1,200,000 Euro, with 1,200 conveyor rollers and each roller costing 50 Euro.

The new plant’s key ecological feature is that hot air is recovered from the firing process and fed back into the production cycle, reusing heat and thus cutting natural gas consumption. This creates a virtuous cycle, with significantly less energy required, generating benefits for the environment.

We are therefore proud to state that our ceramic floor tiles can be both large and beautiful, while caring for nature.