The end of kilns: the biological revolution promising to decarbonise the tile industry
Tile Wars · sustainability · · Tile Wars
Dekiln teams up with Johnson Tiles in the UK to scale an eco-tile that cures at room temperature, skipping 1,200 °C kilns and recycling Stoke-on-Trent plaster waste.
The global ceramics industry stands at a historic crossroads. On one hand, international pressure to reach carbon neutrality demands a radical transformation of its processes. On the other, energy price volatility has put the economic viability of traditional factories in jeopardy. Against this complex backdrop, a strategic alliance in the United Kingdom promises to mark a turning point: Dekiln , a company born out of the Frontier IP Group ecosystem, has partnered with historic manufacturer Johnson Tiles to scale an eco-tile technology that does away with firing altogether. The weakest link in ceramics: the kiln To understand the impact of this innovation, it helps to look at the traditional process. A conventional tile spends hours inside industrial kilns at temperatures ranging from 1,100 °C to 1,200 °C . This step is responsible for the vast majority of the sector's greenhouse gas emissions and also represents the single largest operating cost in tile plants. The proposal from Dr. Aled Roberts, CEO of Dekiln, attacks precisely that critical point. By developing a bio-based material, the company has managed to replicate the look, feel and mechanical properties of a standard ceramic tile, with one radical difference: the material sets and cures at room temperature. "Achieving the same strength and finish as traditional ceramics without firing a single kiln is not just an ecological achievement; it is an economic lifeline for the industry." Circular economy and the rebirth of Stoke-on-Trent The project stands out not only for its energy efficiency, but also for its circular-economy approach. The UK's Royal Academy of Engineering has backed the initiative with a £3 million grant to build a pilot plant in Stoke-on-Trent, the historic heart of British pottery. The fascinating part of Dekiln's production model lies in its raw material. Instead of relying solely on virgin clays, the process will use as its main ingredient the plaster of Paris waste discarded by the local pottery industry itself. The pilot plant will therefore not only cut carbon emissions on the energy side, but also keep tonnes of industrial waste out of landfill, closing the material loop within the same region. An impact that goes beyond tiles The collaboration with Johnson Tiles gives Dekiln the industrial scale, market knowledge and distribution capacity needed to take this technology out of the lab and turn it into a commercially viable product. Tiles, however, are only the first step. The team of scientists and engineers behind Dekiln is already exploring how to apply the principles of this bio-based, cold-cured technology to develop sustainable alternatives to concrete , the most widely used construction material on the planet and one of the largest global polluters. The shift towards green building no longer hinges on long-term promises but on direct drop-in solutions like the one from Dekiln and Johnson Tiles: innovations that meet existing market quality standards while completely transforming the environmental impact of how they are made.