MARBLE-UP

A new sustainable reuse

A sustainable development project aimed at the reduction, recycling and reuse of materials.

The official project description is reproduced in Italian, as filed with the funding programme. An English summary is given above.

A NEW SUSTAINABLE REUSE

With a focus on the targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which include significantly reducing waste production through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse of materials, the MARBLE-UP R&D project aims to address the issue of "calcium carbonate-based waste," seeking a new life for the waste sludge from the following key industrial sectors: STONE SECTOR : Marble sludge and PAPER SECTOR : Deinking sludge . MARBLE-UP intends to identify specialized processing plants that will make these waste materials "reusable" and aims to implement circular economy pathways, preferably within the Tuscan region, in various production cycles and industrial sectors capable of absorbing both marble sludge from the stone industry and deinking sludge from paper mills.

The Tuscan marble supply chain is located between the provinces of Massa-Carrara and Lucca and represents the most renowned global concentration of companies specializing in this field. The turnover of the sector is around one billion euros, mainly from processed marbles, although the contribution from extraction derivatives is not negligible. By law, the yield of a marble quarry cannot be lower than 30% in terms of ornamental material extraction; 50-70% of the material extracted from quarries is thus "derived" material (boulders, gravel, sand, etc.); in addition to these "derived materials," there is the marble dust known as " marmettola ." While derived materials have their own "value" and a market for use (in construction and various industrial sectors, including the paper industry), marmettola does not: it is currently considered waste (CER 010413), despite being essentially marble dust (i.e. CaCO3).

The other waste stream studied in the MARBLE-UP circular economy project comes from the paper industry: this sector is one of the most environmentally virtuous, with a circularity rate of 55%. This is reflected in the paper and cardboard recycling supply chain: Italy is a leader in Europe in recycling paper packaging, with over 80% of paper recycled in Italy, particularly in Tuscany . However, there are still opportunities for improvement in both the quantity and quality of the collection, especially regarding the recovery and reuse of sludge from paper recycling processes. One of these waste streams is the sludge from the deinking phase, which, along with pulper waste, accounts for 60% of the waste produced by recycling paper mills. Deinking sludge consists of cellulose (20-40%), carbonates (40-70%) such as calcium carbonate from marble processing derivatives, an additional 0-15% of silica, and residual moisture of 1-15%. Deinking sludge, along with marmettola, will be the waste streams studied in the MARBLE-UP project, which aims to identify potential reuse options and valorization pathways.

PARTNERSHIP

ARCHA SRL : A company specializing in chemical, biological, and physical analysis, as well as research and development. The goal of this activity is to explore the various potential uses of calcium carbonate, evaluating potential end-users and their specific product requirements (e.g., particle size distribution, macro composition, contaminants, homogeneity, etc.).

Marble Way : A company based in the marble district of the Apuan Alps. In the MARBLE-UP project, the goal is to qualify the different streams of marble sludge from consortium members, determining their chemical composition, physico-chemical properties (e.g., particle size distribution, moisture content, etc.), and any potential contaminants.

TECNOCREO SRL : An engineering company in the industrial and environmental sectors. In the MARBLE-UP project, it will provide support in selecting appropriate plant solutions to ensure that the studied sludges meet the requirements of potential end-users of calcium carbonate-based waste.

KNAUF SPA : A company in the construction and building sector. As part of this project, Knauf will also experiment with calcium carbonate from marble sludge in its production process . Specifically, marble sludge has several potential applications within Knauf’s current product lines: As a replacement for virgin limestone currently used in the “ recipes ” of Knauf products; In premixes for the construction industry as a substitute for virgin calcium carbonate (pure powders derived from the grinding of secondary quarry products); In the production of drywall boards, to provide technological (e.g., fireproof properties) and environmental benefits to the product.

Calacata Recycle SRL : a young company, born not only for the processing of mineral materials extracted from quarries but also, and above all, to enhance and recover the by-products and waste from the stone processing industry. Connected to one of the main marble extraction companies in the Apuan region, it will invest in plant equipment with the aim of making the "marmettola" suitable for recovery .

Chimica Italiana SRL : Specializes in the production and marketing of a full range of products for both the wet-end and finishing processes of leather. Its role within the Marble Up project is to assess whether the calcium carbonate from waste materials, studied in the MARBLE-UP project, could be used for multiple applications . For this reason, CHIMICA ITALIANA , with the support of the DCCI-UNIPI , intends to conduct a series of studies and experiments to evaluate the use of MARBLE-UP waste.

Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa : a research organization that will support the partnership in studying and developing potential new formulations of waste materials containing calcium carbonate to be used in the construction and tanning industries. It will also provide support to the project partners in the search for new coagulants/flocculants for the treatment of wastewater from marble companies in order to separate the water from the solid, i.e., the marmettola to be valorized, limiting its contamination .

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