Dekiln CEO Dr Aled Roberts talked with Proactive’s Stephen Gunnion about the company’s breakthrough in sustainable ceramic tile production and how the £3 million from the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Green Future Fellowship programme will help scale the technology.
Roberts explained that conventional ceramic tiles have a high carbon footprint due to the energy-intensive kiln-firing process. Dekiln has developed an alternative by mimicking natural processes seen in seashells and tooth enamel, creating tiles that function and feel like ceramics without requiring high-temperature firing.
“Our materials are made with very high recycled content,” said Roberts. The tiles are manufactured using recycled gypsum, plastics, and calcium sulfate, combined with a bio-based active ingredient. This not only lowers energy input but significantly reduces carbon emissions in the manufacturing process.
The funding will support Dekiln’s transition from lab-scale production—currently at one square metre of tiles per day—to commercial-scale manufacturing. The company has recently moved into a new facility and upgraded to an entry-level commercial press, representing the first step in its scale-up journey. It now aims to work with a UK-based industrial partner to build a pilot plant.