The impact of technology on the ceramic industry and its relationship to the circular economy

The world has recently witnessed great interest in the circular economy model, which is the alternative economic model that is concerned with changing all production methods and unsustainable consumption patterns through the rational use of resources, recycling, Over the past 30 years, the tile industry has transformed from a semi-automated craft activity focused on Europe to a global high-tech industry. The production technology has developed in a series of important leaps, including (single firing), (single firing for dense body), Rotorcolor decoration, ceramic body preparation, and finally, digital inkjet printing technology. The purpose of all the previous treatments and preparations carried out on the raw materials is to prepare them for the shaping process in which the shaped body is given the geometric shape that it will have after it is transformed, through firing, into a final ceramic product that has all the necessary qualities for use in specific application areas. Although it is more difficult to form ceramic products than metallic ones - due to their mechanical brittleness and the high melting temperature of their primary components, in general - man has found successful methods over the years to avoid these difficulties. There is no sign of slowing down the gradual technical development of ceramic tile manufacturing. In the past few years, the most recent gradual change has been the development of continuous pressure, where cylinders - instead of molds and vertical pressing presses - compress raw materials to make large-sized panels. This research paper is based on four axes:

First: The emergence of the circular economy and its concept.

Second: The concept of forming by pressing.

Third: Types of presses and their working mechanisms.

Fourth: The circular economy in Egypt and its role in the ceramic production process.