Material and Energy Flows in Porcelain Tile Manufacturing with Quantification of Carbon Emissions

The environment and sustainable development are currently seen as opportunities, as possibilities for growth and efficiency improvement. In this way, it is still possible to establish sustainable growth in Brazilian companies by implementing policies and creating awareness among entrepreneurs and society. The objective of this study is to quantify the carbon emissions associated with a porcelain tile production line. Application of the Material and Energy Flow Analysis (MEFA) provides the raw materials and energy flows associated with the ceramic production process. Actual data are available from an industry located in Northeast Brazil. The production line includes grinding, atomizing, forming, drying, enameling, sintering, and finishing. All equipment consume electricity from the grid, except spray-drying that uses petroleum coke. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology is applied to quantify the carbon emissions associated with this production line. MEFA revealed that the monthly losses of the production line are 1,186,600 kg of material, with a consumption of 201,896 kWh electricity and 29,754 kWh petroleum coke. The emissions associated with the consumption of electricity from the Brazilian electric grid are 0.268 kg CO2-eq/kWh, and the emissions associated with the consumption of petroleum coke are 0.558 kg CO2-eq/kWh. The monthly carbon emissions of the production process are 70,711 kg CO2-eq, equivalent to 0.337 kg CO2-eq/m2 of finished product. Aiming at reducing these emissions, solar photovoltaic electricity can be installed to realize environmental benefits, resulting in 9,027 kg CO2-eq/month can be avoided for every 20% electricity replaced (using photovoltaic panels instead of the electricity grid).