Ceramic tile manufacturing is a process that demands intensive energy use (30–40 kW/m²) and resources (0.02 t/m² of raw materials and 0.010 m³/m² of water). About 90% of the energy consumed comes from the combustion of natural gas. The spray-drying stage alone accounts for 95% of water use, 34% of energy consumption (mainly thermal), and 32% of CO₂ emissions. These figures highlight the urgent need to improve the sustainability of this process in order to reduce waste and water use, and to contribute to the challenge of decarbonization.

A consortium made up of three research institutions and four organizations from key European regions in ceramic tile production has launched the INNOVATILE project, funded by the European Union through the Interreg NEXT MED Programme. The project promotes a new, more sustainable technology aimed at significantly reducing the environmental impact of ceramic tile manufacturing, potentially cutting production costs by around 10%.

The initiative, coordinated by the University Institute of Ceramic Technology (IUTC) of the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló, seeks to lower energy and resource consumption in ceramic tile production by implementing an innovative atomised powder production process. This technology is designed to minimize the use of energy, water and raw materials during the drying stage of raw materials. The project has a total budget of €2,800,575.65, of which the EU provides €2,492,512.33, covering 89% of the total cost.

A new critical review published in Materials Futures traces the rapid evolution of Refractory High-Entropy Alloys (RHEAs), a revolutionary class of materials engineered for extreme environments. The review, led by researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, highlights a paradigm shift from traditional alloy design towards computational- and microstructurally-guided strategies. It details how advanced tools like machine learning, quantum mechanics simulations, and phase diagram calculations are accelerating the discovery of new compositions. A central focus is on innovative microstructural designs, including metastable engineering, heterogeneous structures, and atomic-scale chemical ordering, that are successfully overcoming the long-standing trade-off between strength and ductility. The authors conclude that the integration of multi-scale modeling, in-situ characterization, and closed-loop data analysis is poised to transition RHEAs from laboratory breakthroughs to critical components in aerospace, energy, and nuclear applications.

Recently, Associate Professor Xiaolong Feng from the College of Economics and Management at China Agricultural University, together with researchers from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), has addressed these questions through a comparative analysis of agricultural subsidy policies in China and Africa. The related article has been published in Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering (DOI: 10.15302/J-FASE-2025624).

Recently, an in-depth study addressing this question was jointly conducted by Associate Professor Ting Meng from the College of Economics and Management at China Agricultural University, in collaboration with researchers from the Research Institute for Eco-civilization of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Alliance of Biodiversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture (Senegal). The study offers systematic solutions for developing countries, and the related article was published in Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering (DOI: 10.15302/J-FASE-2025646).