From bricks and roof tiles to sanitary ware, technical ceramics, and high-end architectural slabs, ceramics underpin modern life. Yet, the industry’s reliance on fossil gas for high-temperature firing leaves a significant carbon footprint.
Switching the heart of production, the kiln, to low-carbon fuels is therefore a pivotal climate lever. Among the contenders, hydrogen stands out: when burned, it produces water vapour instead of carbon dioxide, offering a path to deep process decarbonisation in a sector where full electrification is not always practical.
Real‑world hydrogen kiln demonstrations have accelerated across Europe and the UK over the past three years, shifting the technology from concept toward commercial reality.[1]
Why Decarbonising Kilns Matters
Kiln firing dominates the energy and emissions profile of most ceramic subsectors. UK analysis by the British Ceramic Confederation (BCC) reveals that approximately 85% of the sector's energy consumption is derived from gas, with kilns being the primary source of emissions — a dependency that locks in direct CO₂ emissions.[4]
Policy pressure is intensifying. The European ceramic industry’s own Roadmap to 2050 models deep emissions cuts that require large-scale fuel switching to green hydrogen, alongside renewables, biofuels, and electrification.[12]
Proposals implying a 90% emissions cut by 2040 compared to 1990 levels would prompt many plants to decarbonise well ahead of their reinvestment cycles. The industry body ASCER has warned that rapid access to affordable, low-carbon energy carriers, including hydrogen, will be crucial for remaining competitive.[11]
Without a credible kiln decarbonisation plan, ceramics risks escalating carbon costs, regulatory non‑compliance and erosion of market share, especially for export‑exposed SMEs.
Why Hydrogen?
Zero carbon at the point of use. Green hydrogen combustion yields water vapour; no carbon in the fuel means no direct CO₂ from the flame, a significant lever for Scope 1 reductions in gas‑intensive kilns.
High‑temperature compatibility. Many ceramic processes still depend on flame‑based radiant and convective heat transfer. With appropriate burner engineering, hydrogen can deliver comparable thermal profiles to natural gas (NG) while reducing stack CO₂ emissions.
Policy & funding tailwinds. Government fuel-switching programmes in the UK and EU explicitly target hydrogen for energy-intensive industries, and public co-funding is catalysing sector pilots that de-risk adoption.
Technology Readiness: Up the TRL Ladder
The BCC’s Phase 1 feasibility programme moved hydrogen firing of representative ceramic bodies from a lab rig to a relevant environment, demonstrating 100% hydrogen firings across heavy clay, whitewares and refractories; many products met technical specifications.
The study’s techno-economics suggested that hydrogen could become financially beneficial for some kiln retrofits in the early 2030s, potentially becoming optimal in the early 2040s, subject to fuel and carbon price trajectories.
Building on that evidence base, the UK Government’s Industrial Fuel Switching Programme funded a bespoke hydrogen pilot kiln to trial both batch and continuous (tunnel) types — the dominant architectures across more than 150 BCC member manufacturing sites.
In 2025, Ceramics UK confirmed that the custom kiln at the Glass Futures facility in St Helens had been commissioned and was operating on 100% hydrogen, with member product trials underway — a world first at this scale.
Global Momentum: Where Hydrogen Kilns Are Being Tried
A selection of headline projects illustrates the breadth of ceramic subsectors exploring hydrogen.
Altadia Group / ANFFECC — H2frit (Spain)
Hydrogen‑fuelled oxy‑frit pilot at Esmalglass‑Itaca (Villarrubia) assessing natural‑gas replacement in frit melting. Partners include BP, Carburos Metálicos, and ITC-AICE; staged hydrogen ramps will study burner tuning, refractory behaviour, and CO₂ cuts.[10]
BCC / Ceramics UK — Demonstrating Hydrogen in the Ceramics Sector (UK)
Sector‑wide collaboration (13 manufacturers across all subsectors) using the bespoke pilot kiln at Glass Futures. Now firing member products on 100% hydrogen, supported by the UK Industrial Fuel Switching Programme.[1][2][3]
Iris Ceramica Group & Edison Next — H2 Factory™ (Italy)
Castellarano slab plant integrating on‑site electrolysis (target 1 MW; ~132 t/yr H₂) and a hydrogen‑ready kiln. Currently low‑percentage blends (~7%) with engineering for higher blends (up to 50% in the first full phase) and a 100% H₂ route under study; projected ~900 t/yr CO₂ savings from initial blending.[7]
Lucideon / AMRICC Centre — Hydrogen Firing of Sanitaryware (UK)
A 13-hour sanitaryware firing at 1,200°C using 100% hydrogen was demonstrated in collaboration with partner Creavit Türkiye. Provides open‑access learning for whiteware producers evaluating hydrogen readiness.[5][18]
Michelmersh Brick Holdings — HyBrick™ (UK)
Demonstration firings using electrolytic hydrogen produced construction bricks with 81–84% lower carbon emissions than conventional gas firing (three green hydrogen firings). A HyBrick bench is displayed at London’s Science Museum, signalling market interest.[6]
SACMI — 100% Hydrogen Kiln Prototype (Italy)
Electrolyser‑fed prototype furnace in Salvaterra capable of methane/hydrogen blends up to 100% H₂; first tile fired on pure hydrogen in October 2023. SACMI already markets 50% blend‑capable production kilns and is developing hybrid electric options toward a "zero‑emissions factory" vision.[8]
German H2TO Tunnel Kiln Consortium (Germany)
Multi‑partner R&D (KTS, FGK, Keramischer Ofenbau, Küppers Solutions et al.) developing hydrogen tunnel‑kiln technology for fireclay products, including local electrolysis, NOₓ/steam emissions research and condensing heat recovery to exploit high moisture exhaust.[9]
What Early Trials Are Teaching Us
Kiln recipes need tuning, not reinventing. Across bricks, tiles, frits, and sanitaryware, early pilots report that acceptable product quality can be achieved with adjusted firing curves and process controls; dramatic reformulations have generally not been required, although optimisation remains product-specific.[18]
Moisture matters. Elevated steam from hydrogen combustion can change sintering kinetics and glaze appearance; careful control of humidity and ventilation is emerging as a key process variable in tile and frit trials.[10]
High blends drive real carbon cuts. Modelling indicates low volumetric blends (<20% H₂) deliver modest CO₂ reductions; deep cuts require high hydrogen fractions or complete substitution, informing staged transition strategies.[4]
Practical Hurdles on the Road to Scale
1. Fuel Cost & Availability
Hydrogen price trajectories are uncertain. BCC modelling shows that switching economics hinge on the delivered H₂ cost, carbon price, and retrofit expenditure; breakeven windows emerge only as green hydrogen scales and carbon costs increase.
2. Infrastructure & Site Configuration
Many (often rural) ceramic SMEs lack access to a hydrogen backbone. Industry bodies call for coordinated infrastructure investment to avoid stranded assets and loss of competitiveness.[11]
3. Burner & Control Retrofits
Safe hydrogen combustion requires redesigning the burner (including flashback control, staging, and material compatibility), revising fuel-to-air ratio management, and upgrading flame detection. OEM guidance highlights these adaptations, especially for dual‑fuel systems that must swing between NG and high‑H₂ blends.[14][15]
4. Emissions Management (NOₓ)
Higher flame temperatures can drive thermal NOₓ; mitigation options include staging, diffusion/radiant-wall firing, flue-gas recirculation, or flameless modes. Industrial hydrogen burner experience indicates that compliance targets are achievable.[15]
5. Process Atmosphere & Product Quality
Water vapour increases, redox shifts and heat‑transfer changes require re‑profiling firing curves and, occasionally, body/glaze tweaks. Spanish hydrogen tile and frit work is generating data sets to guide these adjustments.
6. Capital Timing & Asset Life
Kilns are multi‑decade assets; aligning hydrogen retrofits with scheduled rebuilds can cut disruption and improve project economics, as explored in BCC scenario modelling.[4]
Looking Ahead: Convergence of Hydrogen, Electrification & Digital Control
No single solution will decarbonise every kiln. Leading suppliers are developing hybrid strategies. SACMI couples hydrogen-capable kilns with fully electric prototypes, while Iris Ceramica pairs on-site electrolysis and renewables with advanced controls that tune firing atmospheres in real-time.[8][7]
Digital instrumentation — including Wobbe monitoring, adaptive fuel-air ratio control, and enhanced flame detection — will be integral to safe and efficient multi-fuel operation, and features prominently in hydrogen-ready burner guidance.[14][15]
Conclusion: From Pilot Flames to Commercial Firepower
Hydrogen firing is no longer a laboratory curiosity. Bricks, tiles, frits, and sanitaryware have all undergone successful hydrogen trials at pilot or prototype industrial scales. Economic questions remain, but policy signals and early funding are pulling the technology up the readiness curve. Manufacturers that engage now — by gathering product data, specifying hydrogen-ready upgrades, and joining collaborative pilots — will be better positioned as the green hydrogen supply expands and carbon costs rise.
Ready to Explore Hydrogen for Your Kilns?
Transitioning from fossil gas to hydrogen is a systems project: fuel sourcing, burners, controls, safety, product quality, economics and policy all interact. If you’d like expert guidance on developing a phased, data-driven hydrogen roadmap — from feasibility through pilot trials to scale-up — consult with Hydrogenera.
Our team can help you evaluate technical options, secure funding support, and design pilot programmes tailored to your product mix and kiln assets. Visit https://hydrogenera.eu to start the conversation.