Comparable Study on Celadon Production Fueled by Methanol and Liquefied Petroleum Gas at Industry Scale

As a major contributor to industrial energy consumption and carbon emissions, the kiln industry faces increasing pressure to adopt cleaner energy sources. This study investigated the combustion characteristics, redox processes in celadon firing, product quality, and pollutant emissions for an industry furnace with methanol and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as kiln fuels. Methanol combustion reduced firing time by 17.4% due to the faster temperature rise during oxidation and holding phases and provided a more uniform and stable flame, compared with LPG cases. Significant reductions in emissions were observed when methanol is used as fuel. For example, NO concentration is reduced by 70.89%, 37.43% for SO2, 93.67% for CO, 45.07% for CO2, and 85.89% for CH4. The methanol-fired celadon exhibited better quality in terms of the appearance and threshold stress–strain value. The chemical analysis results show that K/O element ratio increased from 8.439% to 11.706%, Fe/O decreased from 4.793% to 3.735%, Al/O decreased from 33.445% to 31.696%, and Si/O increased from 76.169% to 89.825%. These findings demonstrate the potential of methanol as a sustainable kiln fuel, offering enhanced combustion efficiency, reduced emissions, and improved ceramic quality.