Low-carbon, bio-based alternatives to decorative ceramic tiles

装饰我们厨房和浴室的瓷砖具有巨大的碳足迹，这是由于硬化和上釉材料所需的能源密集型烧制步骤。陶瓷行业占全球工业排放量的1%，占二氧化碳排放交易计划（ETS）信用额的8%。如果世界要实现未来的减排目标，我们需要开发彻底的绿色替代品，以取代瓷砖及其生产过程中的能源密集型工艺。我们公司最近开发了一项创新技术，通过低能耗和可扩展的工艺生产类似于贝壳、象牙和牙釉质的自然灵感材料。在这个项目中，我们的目标是进一步开发这项技术，以生产陶瓷墙砖的低碳替代品。这些瓷砖将由碳酸盐矿物和植物基生物聚合物粘合剂形式的捕获二氧化碳制成。瓷砖的所有成分都可以在当地采购，并完全回收利用，有助于实现循环经济。通过避免生产普通陶瓷所需的能源密集型烧制步骤，我们的自然灵感工艺将减少73%的碳足迹。此外，由于我们的材料将由捕获的二氧化碳组成，瓷砖将锁定否则将被释放到大气中的二氧化碳。我们的长期愿景是通过开发绿色替代品来促进向可持续循环经济的过渡，这些替代品包括水泥，混凝土，砖块和瓷砖，通过使用来自其他行业的废物和低价值副产品。

The ceramic tiles that decorate our kitchens and bathrooms have a huge carbon footprint owing to the energy-intensive firing steps needed to harden and glaze the materials. The ceramic sector accounts for 1% of global industrial emissions and 8% of CO2 emissions trading scheme (ETS) credits. If the world is to meet future emissions reductions targets, we need to develop radical green alternatives to ceramics tiles and the energy-intensive processes that produce them.Our company has recently developed an innovative technology to produce nature-inspired materials similar to seashells, ivory and tooth enamel through a low-energy and scalable process. In this project, our objective is to further develop this technology to produce a low-carbon alternative to ceramic wall tiles. These tiles will be made from captured CO2 in the form of carbonate minerals and a plant-based biopolymer binder. All the components of the tiles can be sourced locally and fully recycled, contributing to a circular economy.By avoiding the energy-intensive firing step needed to produce ordinary ceramics, our nature-inspired process will have a 73% lower carbon footprint. Furthermore, since our materials will consist of captured CO2, the tiles will be locking away CO2 that would otherwise have been released into the atmosphere.Our long-term vision is to facilitate the transition to a sustainable, circular economy by developing green alternatives to construction materials such as cement, concrete, bricks and tiles, through the use of waste and low-value by-products from other industries.