COMMPANY NAME
DIMENSA, DAMIÁN DÍAZ SÁNCHEZ, S.L.
COUNTRY
SPAIN
SECTOR
MANUFACTURE OF BASIC INORGANIC PRODUCTS
CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODEL
RECOVERY AND RECYCLING
CHALLENGE
Minimisation or elimination of waste produced in the manufacture of aluminium sulphate, whose final destination was the landfill site for non-hazardous waste
SOLUTION
In the first goal, consisting of reducing manufacturing waste, the preliminary study by the University of Córdoba identified the main factors influencing its formation and studied two lines of work to discourage its production, both with favourable results at the laboratory scale
In the second goal, aimed at reusing manufacturing waste, the initial analysis showed that this waste could be used as raw material in the process itself. In addition, it was found that yields improved when the waste was pre-treated using a simple washing process
CIRCULAR ECONOMY STRATEGIES/BUSINESS MODELS IMPLEMENTED
Recovery and recycling
IMPACT
Objective No. 1: Reduction of manufacturing waste
The amount of manufacturing waste has been reduced by 60% compared to the 2023 figure, fully meeting the target set.
This result confirms the effectiveness of the measures implemented and lays the foundations for continuing to optimize the operating conditions of the process (temperature, quantities, etc.) in order to achieve even more efficient and stable performance.
Objective No. 2: Reuse of waste as raw material
The technical feasibility of reusing 100% of the waste generated has been verified, incorporating it back into the manufacturing process without affecting the quality of the final product or the stability of the system and improving the efficiency of reuse with a simple wash.
This achievement completely eliminates the need for external waste management, achieving a “zero waste” scenario and strengthening the company’s circular economy model.
KEY TAKE AWAY
Circular innovation is perfectly applicable even in established industrial processes such as ours, provided that they are approached with an open mind to change. Furthermore, I have found that applying circularity principles is particularly beneficial for the company, as it leads to a direct improvement in process efficiency. In our case, we have increased the percentage of use of our raw material, a scarce and costly resource, and we have reduced waste generation, thus decreasing the volume sent to landfill, an impact that is always desirable to minimise.