ECOMAT

ECOMAT_CRIBC:

The ECOMat cluster is one of the three themes covered by the EXTREMat portfolio. ECOMat targets the manufacture of a new generation of porous ceramic materials, with the following triple objective:

Demonstrate that additive manufacturing of ceramic materials can be carbon-free, resource-efficient and economically viable.

Demonstrate the benefits of additive manufacturing technologies for the production of functional, architecturally structured porous structures in three distinct application areas: energy, the environment and CO2-sourced chemistry.

Work to increase the competitiveness of Wallonia's ceramics industries by identifying short-term technology transfers, relevant market segments and potential economic players to complete the ecosystem.

To meet environmental requirements in terms of decarbonization and energy consumption, the cluster will focus on ceramic formulations that do not require high-temperature firing (i.e. >1200°C). This will be achieved by using recycled technical ceramics, consolidated with inorganic binders that set by tempering below 600°C. These "shape and use" ceramics represent a real technological breakthrough: the substitution of the energy-intensive sintering stage by the use of inorganic binders, which confer robustness and dimensional stability to ceramic architectures, will ensure considerable energy savings compared with conventional materials.

Another disruptive factor in the cluster is the adoption of architectural structures (design-controlled cellular materials), which are far more efficient than conventional porous ceramics (foams and parallel-channel extruded monolithics). Given the geometric complexities of the ceramic architectures involved, shaping will be carried out by additive manufacturing.

The cluster will be built around complementary projects by partners CRIBC (ECOMat_CRIBC) and UMons (ECOMat_UMons). Discussions with the companies sponsoring the cluster have enabled us to identify the applications and families of materials associated with them, offering real prospects in the field of energy transition. Each of the ECOMat cluster projects targets a different market niche, with common developments focused on improving and maturing low-energy manufacturing processes for these complex ceramics. To develop the desired architectures, the two partners will exploit the additive 3D micro-extrusion and binder-jetting processes available at CRIBC, which are doubly advantageous for future industrial development because they are both productive and low-capex.

The ECOMat-CRIBC project will specialize in the market segments of :

energy: through compact heat exchangers and volumetric solar collectors, where the appropriate ceramic material is silicon carbide;

CO2-sourced chemistry (CCUS): targeting the manufacture of heterogeneous catalysis substrates in gamma alumina and mesoporous hydrotalcite.

ECOMat-CRIBC will first target the formulation and/or adaptation of inorganic binders to make them compatible with the ceramic powders under consideration, then focus on the additive manufacturing of the desired complex architectures.

ECOMAT-UMONS:

The attractiveness of ceramic materials stems from their remarkable intrinsic properties, which can be used in a wide range of applications. This broad spectrum of properties can be further extended by the introduction of a porous network to increase lightness, but also, and above all, to allow the circulation of fluids while offering a large surface area for exchange. Because of their ability to withstand the most aggressive environments, porous ceramics are widely used in the manufacture of filters, heat exchangers, catalytic converters, etc. However, conventional ceramic processes are very energy-intensive, require costly investments, and present limitations in terms of the complexity of the geometry of the parts produced.

In order to overcome these limitations, the ECOMat cluster of projects targets a triple objective:

Demonstrate that additive manufacturing of ceramic materials can be decarbonized, resource-efficient and economically viable;

Demonstrate the benefits of additive manufacturing technologies for the production of functional, architecturally-engineered porous structures in three distinct application areas: energy, the environment and CO2-sourced chemistry;

Work to increase the competitiveness of Wallonia's ceramics industries by identifying short-term technology transfers, relevant market segments and potential economic players to complete the ecosystem.

As part of this cluster of projects, in partnership with CRIBC, the ECOMat-UMONS project aims to develop an innovative, low-environmental-impact process for the production of parts based on silicate ceramic materials. The characteristics of the materials produced will meet the criteria required for technical applications such as filtration or catalysis, up to temperatures of 1000°C. The process is based on the shaping of green parts from aluminosilicate powders (mullite and cordierite), most of which can be recycled, and consolidation without recourse to energy-intensive heat treatments, using geopolymerization reactions in particular. This process will be compatible with additive manufacturing methods using powders, such as 3D extrusion or binder jetting, to produce complex-shaped parts with structured porosity.