Energy saving technologies in the European ceramic sector: a systematic review

Especially after the energy crisis of 1980s, plenty of energy efficient technologies were introduced in the European ceramic industry sector, resulting in significant energy reduction together with reduction of production time and cost. In the present review, these energy savings technologies introduced over the last two decades are presented and analysed. After a brief introduction about the current status and the typical products of the European ceramic sector, the general ceramic production flow-chart common to all ceramic industries is outlined and the energy efficient technologies introduced per sub-sector and per stage of the ceramic production process are described. Finally, an assessment of these technologies is presented and the trends for the future are discussed.