New technology means pottery can be made with less energy

Lucideon's Dr David Pearmain with the kiln.

SCIENTISTS and engineers working on a multi-million pound project to help ceramics firms cut their energy bills have made a significant breakthrough.

Materials technology company Lucideon was awarded almost 2 million from the Government's Regional Growth Fund (RGF) in 2012 to develop low-energy firing technology.

Now, as part of commercial tests, 15 x 15cm tiles have been produced, all showing the same strength as tiles made using traditional, energy-intensive methods.

Tony Kinsella, chief executive of Lucideon, headquartered in Penkhull, said: "We now have material that is a tile, and looks like a tile, feels like a tile, rings like a tile and that's a Eureka moment.

"There is still a lot of work needed, but the team has risen to all of the challenges so far.

"Like all scientific and engineering endeavours, the project has had its ups and downs and some slices of luck.

"However, the team has never lost sight of the goal and, as confidence has grown, they have increased their levels of innovative thinking and application.

"As a result, we are confident we have a real success on our hands, which will have a profound impact on energy use and the economy of the ceramics industry in the future."

As part of the project, an 80-foot-long (25 metres) commercial-scale kiln was built at Lucideon, and commercial scale tests started last year.

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New technology means pottery can be made with less energy