Circular ceramics: Mapping UK mineral waste
Lewis Jones, Rosa Urbano Gutiérrez
Abstract
The UK ceramics industry faces significant challenges to transition to the circular economy and meet net zero targets for emissions. Whilst the literature shows ceramic building materials to be well-suited to utilising a range of waste inputs, the lack of detailed information on UK mineral waste availability, distribution, composition and effect on emissions remains a major barrier in practice. Using a range of data sources, this paper maps the UK's current mineral waste by material type and geographic occurrence. The potential of each material for ceramics applications is assessed, particularly focusing on the scope they offer for reducing firing temperature and process emissions, alongside their processing demands and opportunity cost. This study aims to provide an important tool in helping producers make informed decisions to reduce their raw material usage with a view towards emissions reduction and incremental transition to net zero.