PROJECT

Background

The ornamental stone industry is considered one of the most important industrial activities worldwide; in Europe alone, approximately 32 million tons of ornamental stones are extracted from quarries each year. However, a significant percentage of the extracted materials is lost during processing activities (extraction, sawing, cutting, sizing, polishing, finishing, etc.) and often ends up in landfills. Various studies indicate that waste from extraction activities is estimated to be around 50% of the total extracted material, while stone processing (to obtain final products) generates an additional 20-30% of waste, calculated based on the net quantities of extracted blocks. Waste from quarries and mines represents the second-largest waste stream in the European Union, accounting for 26.6% of the total waste produced on the continent in 2018, according to Eurostat.

Economy

All those wastes at present constitute a cost for industries as they must pay for transporting and disposing them in landfills, losing materials which could be recycled and constitute a relevant economic resource for the overall stone sector. Putting in place some innovative CIRCULAR ECONOMY practices, the recycling of natural stones, such as marbles, granites, quartz or basalts, will turn costs into profits for companies, will mitigate the environment impact (transport and disposal of powders and sludges) and will avoid losing land now dedicated to landfilling.

The project

The project will support the European stone industry in transitioning towards a circular economy approach with the goal of transforming an environmentally harmful industry into a sustainable sector, providing an economically advantageous solution for the comprehensive and proper valorization of produced waste. These actions align with the EU's Agenda 2030, which promotes proper waste management to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as increasing recycling and valorization rates, simultaneously decreasing landfill disposal. In conclusion, the transition towards a circular and economically viable economy, as outlined in the Circular Economy Action Plan developed by the European Commission in 2015, will ensure the long-term competitiveness of the ornamental stone sector.

Objectives

The general objective of the project is to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of an innovative technology for the recycling of stone waste which is currently sent to landfill and not valorized. It will be demonstrated how to valorize stone waste from different origins (marble, granite, basalt, etc.) by transforming it into MPS (Secondary Raw Materials) which can then be sold directly or used as components for premixed products and other CAM certified END-PRODUCTS intended for to the construction industry.
The proposed technology is sized for SMEs and involves the use of low-cost systems (with an average capacity of 4-8 tons/h of treated waste) which can be installed directly at the company that generates the waste, processing it and producing more high-value products for the construction market at zero Km.

Technological

Demonstration of the performances (quantity and quality of end-products) of the ECOGEO plants.
Introduction of circular economy practices into the stone industry.

Environmental

Reduction by 100% of the stone waste.
No disposal, no land lost for disposal or pollution from waste transfers.
Recycle of all types of stone waste in “green” end-product.

Socio-economic

Reuse of wastes in agriculture and constructions.
Saving money by avoiding transports,

Specific Objectives

  • Improve the LIFE ZSW solution to achieve industrial scalability and achieve TRL8.
  • Certify the END-PRODUCTS obtained (chemical-physical, “performance” and environmental analysis) to get the CAM certification.
  • Demonstrate the economic convenience of recycling as an alternative to disposal, and mitigation of the environmental impacts (reduction of polluting factors).
  • Transfer and replicate the LIFE ZSW solution both in Italy and abroad.
  • Increase the level of INNOVATION in the marble companies by promoting SUSTAINABILITY and Circular Economy practices.
  • Develop a detailed exploitation plan and business plan to guide the market of the ZSW solution immediately after the project ends.

Project Activities

WORK PACKAGE – WG:

The Preparatory Activities (WP2), include the planning and construction of the different equipment which compose the plant.
The Demonstration activities (WP3) include the operation of the plant in real conditions, in three sites (two in Italy and one in Spain) for testing and measuring the performances of the plant for producing different types of CAM end-products by starting from different kinds of wastes.

The WP3 includes the CERTIFICATION of the end-products.
The WP4 deals with the study of Sustainability, replicability and exploitation of project results.
The WP5 monitors and evaluate the impacts and KPIs of the project.
The WP6 includes all actions related to communication and dissemination.