PROJECTS
Pilot plant for VOC recovery through reversible adsorption on sintered granulate from sewage sludge treatment – LIFE20 ENV/IT/000688
The aim of the ReVOC4LIFE project is to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of an innovative and more environmentally sustainable technological process that enables companies in the leather tanning district to fully comply with European Directives on emissions. The objective is to maintain an optimal balance between product performance and reduced environmental impact, while generating a positive economic impact.
This result will be achieved through:
- the recovery of the solvent and its reuse in a closed-loop system;
- the use of a by-product of the leather tanning industry, appropriately activated, as a sorbent material.
Currently, the most advanced abatement systems are mainly used in spray booths and are effective in removing dust, pigments, and water-soluble solvents. However, these systems are not designed to capture Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that are released directly into the atmosphere in the form of vapours.
The project partners have developed and validated a new modular system for VOC emission abatement and solvent recovery, based on air filtration and electro-oxidation technologies.
The innovative concept behind the technology is based on three fundamental pillars:
- Closed-loop reuse of water from wet scrubbers, thanks to electro-oxidation;
- Adsorption of VOCs present in the air through sintered granules, a by-product derived from the treatment of excess sludge, with characteristics similar to those of activated carbon;
- Recovery of solvent from exhaust filters, to be reused in the tanning process.
A pilot plant on an industrial scale will be installed in a selected tannery and will operate for one year, treating the entire air flow from a stack that is particularly critical in terms of VOC emissions. The plant is designed to be easily replicable on other production lines within the same tannery, in other companies in the district, and potentially exportable worldwide. The expected impact is extremely significant: it is estimated that the annual VOC emissions of the Santa Croce sull’Arno leather tanning district alone amount to around 5 million kg, of which approximately 40,000 kg are attributable to the tannery where the pilot plant will be installed.
Project Information
Name: ReVoc4Life
Period: September 2021 – December 2026
With the contribution of the European Union’s LIFE programme – Total budget: €3,328,628, EU contribution: €1,814,245