LIFE REPLAY is progressing towards circular ceramic inkjet inks
LIFE REPLAY consortium, led by the Institute of Ceramic Technology (ITC-AICE), meets today with the NEEMO LIFE monitoring team at the university campus facilities to follow up on the activities, find out the state of the tasks assigned to each participant and exchange experiences, as well as plan the next actions to be carried out.
Castellón, 22/06/22. The consortium of the European project LIFE REPLAY, coordinated by ITC-AICE and funded by the European Commission under the LIFE Programme (Ref. LIFE20 ENV/ES 000115), has met today with the LIFE monitoring team of NEEMO, at the facilities of the university campus of the Institute of Ceramic Technology of Castellón (ITC-AICE). The project pretends to move towards a circular model in the field of digital ceramic decoration, that is, to find a way to reuse ceramic inkjet inks waste by reintroducing them into the decorative process of ceramic tiles and thus give them a new life. LIFE REPLAY is made up of the following companies: KEROS CERAMICA, S.L., NEPTURY TECHNOLOGIES, S.L, AKCOAT RECUBRIMIENTOS QUÍMICOS ESPECIALIZADOS S.L.U and CTR CENTRO DE TRATAMIENTO DE RESIDUOS DEL MEDITERRÁNEO S.L.
During the meeting, the partners discussed and explained the actions that are being carried out. They all agree on a common objective: ensuring that ceramic inkjet ink wastes can be reintroduced into the industrial ceramic process by means of a specific separation procedure that meets industrial requirements. As a result, waste disposal costs will be reduced and a sustainable process can be reached, in line with the principles of the Circular Economy. In addition, it will stop the increasing exploitation of virgin resources in the field of ceramic pigments and organic solvents.
During the first months of the project, LIFE REPLAY has defined the legal framework for reusing inkjet inks waste. It also compiled information on the companies that potentially generate this sort of waste, both in the ceramic sector and in other industrial sectors (decorative glass and batteries). Two public reports including the results obtained are already available on the project website.
LIFE REPLAY enters now in a new phase of work in which it will design a prototype to transform ceramic inkjet ink wastes into new components for the manufacture of ceramic products (inks, pigments and tiles), making the ceramic industry more circular and environmentally friendly.