Acimac conference on "Energy efficiency in the ceramic industry" proves a big success

The reports given at the conference held on 23 February, which saw the participation of more than 250 industry professionals, are now available.

More than 250 ceramic industry professionals took part in the Acimac technical conference entitled "Energy efficiency in the ceramic industry" held at the Una Hotel in Baggiovara (Modena) on 23 February.

Organised in cooperation with the magazine Ceramic World Review and sponsored by Tecnargilla, the meeting offered a broad picture of the latest plant engineering solutions and the financial and other tools available to support ceramic companies in the field of energy efficiency.

The technology suppliers have responded to what has become an increasingly important issue for producer companies in recent years with ever higher performance cutting-edge solutions.

Moderated by Prof. Paolo Zannini (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia), the conference began with a talk given by Andrea Canetti (Confindustria Ceramica), who discussed "Energy and environmental aspects in the ceramic and brick industries: the reference framework, outstanding problems and prospects".

This was followed by technical reports given by leading companies in the sector on the latest technological solutions for improving the energy efficiency of production plant (from raw materials preparation through to drying and firing of ceramic tiles and panels) (click on titles to download presentation):

• New energy for innovative technological solutions (speakers: Giuseppe Cavani and Giuseppe Macchioni, LB)
• Innovation, efficiency and productivity in today’s ceramic industry (speakers: Alessandro Bianchini and Ruggero Casoni, Siti B&T)
• High-efficiency line for the production of medium and large-format tiles and panels (speaker: Ferdinando Cassani, Sacmi)
• Dry Tech technology, more than just energy saving (speaker: Alessandro Manfredini, Manfredini & Schianchi)
• Direct drying with gas turbines (speaker: Emilio Rigamonti, Turbomach)
• The development of cogeneration systems in the ceramic industry (speaker: Stefano Cocchi, Cefla)
• Elastic optimisation system for recoverable heat potential (speakers: Stefano Minghelli and Alessandro Righi, Cami)

The following talks discussed the tools available to ceramic companies:

• Energy efficiency 2.0 (speaker: Giorgio Mottironi, Avvenia)
• Voluntary and mandatory certifications: the reference framework, competitive advantages for companies, future scenarios (speakers: Andrea Vivi and Stefano Storti, TUV Inter Cert Saar)
• Loans and incentives to support investments in technology or energy efficiency (speaker: Stefano Lugli, Acimac)