On the morning of 7 May 2025, the Foshan Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League held a Foshan youth symposium to present awards to recipients of the national “Two Reds, Two Excellents” honours and the provincial and municipal May Fourth Youth Medals. The Ammonia–Hydrogen New Energy Industrial Kiln Zero-Carbon Combustion Technology R&D Center of Foshan Xianhu Laboratory received the title of “Foshan May Fourth Youth Medal Collective”.
Tackling carbon reduction: research on zero-carbon combustion technology for high-temperature industry
The Ammonia–Hydrogen New Energy Industrial Kiln Zero-Carbon Combustion Technology R&D Center of Foshan Xianhu Laboratory was established in response to China’s energy-structure transition and its carbon peaking and carbon neutrality strategy. Targeting the energy-saving and carbon-reduction needs of high-temperature industry, the Zero-Carbon Center focuses on three high-temperature industrial sectors—building materials, metal processing and thermal power generation—and conducts research on the fundamental theory, engineering technology and pilot-line application of zero-carbon and carbon-neutral fuel combustion. It has made multiple breakthroughs in zero-carbon combustion mechanisms, burner design and pollutant detection and treatment, developing core technologies such as high-efficiency pure-ammonia burners, ammonia–natural gas co-firing systems, trace-ammonia detection in high-temperature, high-humidity environments, and multi-stage combined nitrogen oxide treatment. To date, the Zero-Carbon Center has published 23 high-level papers, applied for 31 patents and led the development of more than 10 group standards. Relying on a fundamental combustion research laboratory, a thousand-core computing center and pilot-scale industrial kilns including a ceramic shuttle kiln, an aluminium melting furnace, an aluminium billet heating furnace and a pulverized-coal combustion furnace, the center has built the “High-Temperature Industrial Zero-Carbon Combustion Pilot Platform”, which became one of the first Foshan municipal-level pilot platforms.
Young researchers shoulder heavy responsibilities on the front lines of research and industry
Led by Academician Cheng Yibing, the Zero-Carbon Center team consists of more than ten young researchers. They strive for new heights in ammonia–hydrogen zero-carbon combustion technology and drive the green energy revolution with hard work and ingenuity. Some have worked on enterprise production lines for nearly two years, working day and night to overcome technical bottlenecks; some are dedicated to fundamental research and carefully guide graduate students in exploring academic frontiers; some focus on high-fidelity numerical simulation, providing precise support for combustion technology development; some move between the pilot platform and enterprises to bring technologies into industrial settings; and others closely follow enterprise needs, solving industry problems with independently developed advanced technologies. With innovation as their pen and hard work as their ink, these talented young people have written a remarkable chapter for young scientists and engineers in the research and application of zero-carbon combustion technology, demonstrating the outstanding contributions and sense of mission of young talent in the new era.
World-first results lead the green transformation of the building ceramics industry
Focusing on building ceramics, a traditional pillar industry in Foshan, the Zero-Carbon Center took only one year to fire the world’s first zero-carbon building ceramic tile using ammonia fuel on the pilot line of Oceano Ceramics in December 2022, which was selected as one of the “Top Ten Global Building Materials Science and Technology News”. In 2023, it successfully developed high-efficiency nitrogen oxide control technology, bringing the emissions of the pilot kiln far below industry limits. In September 2024, the world’s first demonstration mass-production line for ammonia–hydrogen zero-carbon combustion in the ceramics industry, developed under the center’s leadership, went into production at Monalisa, with product performance and environmental indicators better than national and industry standards. It was released at the China Building Materials Conference as a disruptive, breakthrough and original achievement of the Chinese building materials industry in recent years, and was widely reported by authoritative media such as CCTV and People’s Daily. This series of results provides a safe and reliable mass-production demonstration for the use of zero-carbon fuels in the building ceramics industry.
Expanding into multiple fields to support carbon peaking and carbon neutrality
Building on its success in building ceramics, the Zero-Carbon Center is actively extending zero-carbon combustion technology to daily-use ceramics, sanitary ceramics, metal smelting and processing, and thermal power generation, striving to open practical technology pathways for high-temperature industries to reach carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. The center has established joint R&D centers with a number of enterprises, carrying out research on zero-carbon combustion technologies in six industrial sectors including glass, aluminium processing and ceramics, and promoting the deployment of the zero-carbon combustion technology system.
The award of “Foshan May Fourth Youth Medal Collective” to the Zero-Carbon Center of Foshan Xianhu Laboratory is both a recognition of the center’s zero-carbon technology innovations and an encouragement for the young talent of Foshan Xianhu Laboratory to forge ahead with determination and courage, build on past achievements and take on responsibility. At this critical period in the implementation of China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality strategy, all young researchers at Foshan Xianhu Laboratory feel the weight of their mission and are full of fighting spirit. On the new journey, the young people of Foshan Xianhu Laboratory will take this honour as motivation, adopt a higher vision, stronger sense of responsibility and more practical work style, carry forward the pioneering spirit of research, and, with determination to tackle tough problems and the courage to innovate, stay rooted on the front line of zero-carbon combustion technology for high-temperature industry, running hard on the track towards the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals and contributing youthful strength to the green chapter of Chinese modernization.
Foshan Xianhu Laboratory news link
Source: Foshan Xianhu Laboratory website