Coop Imola carries out project for waste recovery

Cooperativa Ceramica d’Imola, one of the largest ceramic sector companies in the world, has developed a project entitled ‘Life Ambiente’, a financial tool for environmental protection introduced by the European Union in 1992 and one of the mainstays of its environmental policy. The aim of the initiative is to contribute to the development of innovative environmental techniques and methods with a demonstrative, pilot function that can be transferred to specific sectors.

The project carried through by Coop Imola and called P.S.V. consists of a clean process for recycling and valorising waste sludge deriving from the processing of ceramic and similar materials by means of mineralisation. The system exploits the high-temperature reactivity of the abrasive powders present in abundance in the sludges and dispersed in ceramic bodies to produce high-performance products.

The pilot plant has a production capacity of over 3,000 tons of sludge per year and consists of three plants: one for raw material preparation, one for shaping and a third for firing products.
After concluding its role as a technological laboratory, the pilot plant will be configured to the best of its capacities and will become a fixed component of porcelain tile production lines. Through further experimentation, the company will subsequently expand its sludge recycling capacity in order to attain full autonomy.