January the 2nd, 2024 – The Croatian Premifab company and the University of Zagreb’s Geotechnical Faculty have teamed up to create an innovative solution for the reuse of hazardous waste.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Ana Roksandic writes, the chemical industry produces a significant amount of waste, which represents a pressing environmental problem. According to estimates, more than 55 million tonnes of waste are produced in the EU alone, of which six million are deemed hazardous. Here in the Republic of Croatia, the chemical industry produces about 25,000 tonnes of waste, of which 3,000 tonnes are labelled as being hazardous waste. More than half of that can actually be reused.
One of the solutions for this ecological challenge comes from Croatia. The Geotechnical Faculty of the University of Zagreb and the Croatian Premifab company, which deals with the regeneration of waste solvents, held the final conference of the IRI2 project called “The development of new technology for the more efficient recovery of solvents and other types of hazardous waste” recently.
The total value of the IRI2 project exceeds 1.76 million euros, and more than half of that amount was co-financed from EU funds. The project of the Faculty of Zagreb and the Croatian Premifab company from Kerestinec has developed innovative technology for refining distillation residue into a useful raw material for further products. It can be applied in the construction industry, the paint and varnish industry, and road construction where it is used for asphalt bases and bituminous pastes. It serves as a coating for anti-corrosion protection and an additive for nitro-paints in the paint and varnish industry.
Promoting the circular economy
“New solutions for the regeneration of waste sludge will further reduce the total amount of industrial waste generated overall. A new product will end up being created from the waste and thereby confirm the circular economy, even in the management of hazardous waste.
In the six years of us doing business, we have recovered over 10,000 tonnes of hazardous waste and returned more than 8,000 tonnes of clean products back to the industry, and at the same time, we make it possible to avoid significant amounts of harmful CO2 emissions,” emphasised the Croatian Premifab company’s co-founder and director of business development, Igor Podravac. He also added that for them, sustainable business with respect for the environment is of paramount importance.
