Experimental study on the direct firing of ceramic ware using concentrated solar energy

In this study, we developed a solar ceramic kiln to address the problem of CO₂ emissions caused by traditional ceramic ware firing processes. Ceramic specimens were fired using the proposed setup, and their properties were compared with those of an electric-fired ceramic cup (ECC). The solar-fired ceramic cup (SCC) exhibited no cracks on its surface. Its water absorption was 4.25%, open porosity was 9.93%, bulk density was 2.210 g/cm³, bending strength was 88.96 MPa, and ovalization was 1.46%. These findings suggested that the physical performance of the SCC was comparable to that of the ECC, which had water absorption of 4.03%, an open porosity of 8.79%, a bulk density of 2.180 g/cm³, an ovalization of 1.45%, and a bending strength of 72.4 MPa. The SCC achieved these results in 120 min, which was seven times faster than that of the ECC (firing time of 869 min).