en 
2024-02-16
The REPAPEL project achieves new solutions with high added value to increase circularity in the paper industry
The initiative, which has European funds and has received the support of the Basque Government through the SPRI, has achieved the recovery of paper waste for use in sectors such as construction, water treatment and the chemical industry.
Obtaining products with a lower carbon footprint, through the substitution of virgin or non-renewable raw materials, or the absorption of CO2 in the product itself, is one of the main results achieved by the REPAPEL project, which comes to an end after more than 3 years of work by a consortium of 11 Basque companies in the paper sectors, construction, water and chemical, and the collaboration and support of Aclima, the Basque Environment Cluster, the Basque Paper Cluster, Tecnalia and CEIT. The new solutions tested and validated in the REPAPEL project for the paper industry, which also involve the rest of the sectors participating in the project, manage to increase the circularity of the sector, which currently recycles more than 78% of the paper and cardboard consumed.
Since its inception in 2021, the REPAPEL project has focused on industrial research activities and experimental development for the valorization of five waste streams from the paper industry in 3 main areas. First, the performance of raw material extraction and waste treatment technologies generated in pulp and paper production processes has been evaluated at laboratory scale. On the other hand, the viability of new industrial products has also been evaluated, based on the raw materials obtained in the extraction and treatment processes. In addition, work has been carried out on the design of a tool to support decision-making in the management of paper by-products.
The intense work of these 3 years, with an investment of 4.5 million euros and the support of the Basque Government through the SPRI's HAZITEK program, has made it possible to formulate and test new industrial products based on recycled raw materials, specifically tests have been carried out for construction with prefabricated concrete from carbonate ash and limestone sludge. and bituminous mixtures from lignin-based bio-binders. Lignin has also been validated as the basis for the design of flocculants and surfactants used in water treatment and industrial cleaning. In terms of the environment and
Circular economy: recycling and renewable raw materials are significantly increased, allowing a more efficient and restrictive use of virgin raw materials.
Circular and low-carbon economy
REPAPEL has managed to transform several wastes generated within the paper industry into resources and raw materials for the sector itself and the industrial areas mentioned above. The work of this collaborative research takes another step forward in the development of an increasingly circular economy that meets the current needs of the planet. In this sense, solutions such as those provided by this project are moving towards a new low-carbon economy just when the last climate summit held in Dubai has just approved a gradual disappearance of fossil fuels by 2050. In fact, this initiative is part of the philosophy of the European Green Deal, which aims to accelerate the transition towards an increasingly circular economy to achieve the goal of climate neutrality in the same year.
The initiative has aimed to avoid the generation of waste in order to transform it into quality raw materials with high added value. The project, which has been supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), is a new step towards facing the challenge of zero discharge with the search for alternatives to conventional recovery routes, a fundamental aspect to meet the competitiveness and sustainability objectives set by the European Union
The work has also managed to integrate the entire current value chain, which ranges from pulp and paper manufacturers themselves to waste treatment companies and processing industries in the chemical sector, as well as engineering and construction companies. REPAPEL has been completed with the development of a decision-making tool that will help companies in the paper sector to select the best options for the recovery of their waste and by-products.
Project Consortium
The REPAPEL project consortium has been led by ONDOAN S.Coop., a leading company in the field of engineering and environmental consultancy, and has had two international sector references, one is an integrated manufacturer of kraft pulp and paper, SMURFIT KAPPA Nervión, and the other is a manufacturer of high-performance paper pulp. ZUBIALDE, as well as leading companies in the field of engineering and the environment (ONDOAN, TSK and EKOTEK), waste treatment (AGALEUS), asphalt (CAMPEZO and ASFALTIA), concrete (P. ETXEBERRIA) and chemical (FERALCO and BIOSYNCAUCHO), in collaboration with 2 agents of the Basque Network of Science, Technology and Innovation (TECNALIA Research & Innovation and CEIT), as well as the support of the BASQUE ENVIRONMENTAL CLUSTER AND ACLIMA.
Press Contact:
Rakel Reyes, Head of Communications at Aclima
Tel.: 653706742
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