The circular economy is one of the fields in which the Valencian technological institutes of the Redit network linked to traditional manufacturing sectors such as textiles, footwear or toys They have been working with greater emphasis for years so that companies can comply with sustainability and waste management regulations and requirements.
A field so strategic that its reference centers in the Valencian Community –Aitex (textile); Inescop (Footwear) and Aiju (toys and childcare)– They have been collaborating for years on joint projects to increase their impact in the industry. An example of this was the launch of the project Circular Industrywith the creation of a unique plant in Europe capable of recycling multi-composition productsthat is, with several materials that, due to the difficulty of separating their composition, have not been recovered until now.
The joint project, in addition to developing this technology, allowed for greater value-added uses for each material, precisely by involving very different types of industries that participate in the entire value chain of those industries.
From that experience Inescop, Aiju and Aitex have taken their research and knowledge to another of the large sectors of the Valencian economy: tourism. through the project HOR-Eco They have set the goal of improving sustainability among companies in that sector. As they did in the case of their sectors, they seek to develop and implement circular economy schemes for the correct management of multicomponent waste generated by the hospitality and restaurant industry, the so-called horeca channel, one of the sectors with the most business in the entire region. A project that is financed by the Valencian Institute of Competitiveness and Innovation (IVACE+i).
Many of the waste generated by this industry need prior treatment to be directed to specific recycling processes and, in this way, obtain recycled raw materials with high added value that improve the circularity of tourism companies in the Valencian Community.
HOR-Eco seeks to define new circular economy models that interrelate the horeca segment with the footwear, textile and toy industries, using the demonstrator of the pilot plant of Circular Industry. Participating in this innovation initiative are tourism establishments and chains such as Hoteles Poseidón, SH Villa Gadea, Solymar Grupo and Hotel Abril, technology and waste management companies such as Recypyr, Cervic Environment or Synthelast, as well as firms from other sectors such as Gimar, Eurodetin. , Zelein Engineering and Development, Picadilly, Ripay Mobiliario and Eldacorcho.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), The tourism sector was responsible for 8.1% of global polluting emissions in a single year.so the amount of waste generated by tourist establishments such as hotels, restaurants or bars represents large volumes. With the results of HOR-Eco The aim is to reintroduce recycled materials into the supply chain and adapt efficient technologies for recycling waste for its transformation into materials in polymeric formats, foams, textiles, leather and metals.
Mattress and upholstery foams
Sustainability and the circular economy are priority areas of innovation for many other sectors. That is the case of another of the projects of the Aidimme technological institute, specialized in metal, wood and furniturewhich focuses on one of the largest and most complex types of waste to recover: flexible polyurethane foams from mattresses or furniture upholstery.
The project Biopurpromoted by Aidimme and financed by the Valencian Institute of Competitiveness and Innovation (IVACE+i), focuses on developing a biodegradation system for polyurethane waste and byproducts generated by the furniture industry in the Valencian Community. To carry it out, it has the collaboration of the companies Missana Tapicerías, Colchon Star, Comotex Sistema de Descanso and Healthcare Foam.
Within this research, the Aidimme Microbiology laboratory has managed to isolate different bacterial species with polyurethanelytic power, which manage to degrade polyurethane effectively and in a short space of time. The different isolates have been obtained from solid waste, located in certain areas of soil contaminated with plastic remains. With this, it was determined which species were most capable of degrading polyurethane. Subsequently, aerobic microorganisms have been isolated for pilot-scale work under controlled temperature and oxygen conditions.
Digital inks
Another industry with long experience in taking advantage of waste is Castellón ceramics, which in recent years has massively introduced digital printing to shape its tiles and large formats. A new technology that also generates new waste. For this reason, the Advanced Digital Printing unit of the Institute of Ceramic Technology (ITC-AICE) is working on the project Metamorphwhose main objective is to develop ceramic products from the recovery of heavy metals from the solid component present in waste ceramic decoration inks Inkjet or digital printing.
According to the ITC, digital inkjet printing represents a great competitive advantage and has established itself as the main method of decorating ceramic tiles. But among its counterparts is that it generates waste that is difficult to classify for recycling and recovery, and includes solid components based on heavy metals that can be harmful to the environment and health.
In this case, the research team tries to extract the greatest amount of heavy metals possible using a physicochemical treatment to subsequently valorize them and reuse them in the manufacture of new ceramic products. To this end, different experimental methods are being launched to achieve forms of extraction of these heavy metals that are reproducible on an industrial scale and that have the highest possible degree of sustainability, reintroducing them to the market again and reducing waste and the resulting economic costs. of transportation and storage, in addition to the high costs due to environmental risks.
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