21 January 2022
LIFE BioLubridge, started in September 2021 for a total duration of 36 months, is a project funded by the European Union under the LIFE Programme with 1.3 million euro, and it brings together 5 Partners to reach an important goal: proposing and demonstrating an alternative method to obtain bio lubricants from sewage sludge, lowering the environmental impact of these products and in line with principles of Circular Economy.
LIFE BioLubridge is a pilot project that introduces a new paradigm for the treatment of urban sewage sludge and the use of its lipids, to produce added-value raw material for bio-lubricants and bringing to substantial environmental benefits such as decreasing the impact of urban waste and providing a new source of raw material to substitute the need of extracting oils from plants and trees.
The main scope of the project is to develop a totally new value chain, able to trigger a virtuous circle for generating raw materials from waste and that embraces the new concept of converting hazardous waste into consumable products.
This system has never been implemented before. During LIFE BioLubridge project a pilot scale capable to process 2 m3/h of thickened sludge will be realized and run. The pilot demonstrator unit will be assembled at VITONE ECO premises, Coordinator of project, then it will be positioned at Acquedotto Pugliese water treatment plant in Bari, in a location which will be finely selected.
In addition to Vitone Eco, the consortium is composed by a French company with experience in converting raw lipids into valuable esters, namely CERATEC, and FIOCHEM which will guarantee the direct test on the market of metalworking fluids. All the steps will be monitored and studied by CNR-IRSA; Acquedotto Pugliese will allow the pilot plant to be installed and tested, giving a support in the characterization of sewage sludge.
