Adding purity to performance Nuova Solmine

aDDing purity to pErformancE

Nuova Solmine is a European market leader in the production and distribution of sulphuric acid and oleum. Thanks to its high level of purity, the sulphuric acid produced by the company has many applications in industrial processes from water purification and pharmaceuticals to detergents, fertilisers and foodstuffs. Philip Yorke reports on a company that is clearly focused on technological innovation as well as increasing its global presence.

Nuova Solmine is a leading European chemicals company based in Italy. In 1962 the industrial complex of Casone di Scarlino was built by the Montecatini Edison Company for the business of pyrite extraction and processing. However, the plant merged with Solmine in 1972 to produce sulphuric acid, ferrous oxide and energy. Following this development, in 1996 Sol Mar SpA was formed in order to tender for the then Eni Group company, Nuova Solmine. The business came under the complete control of Sol Mar SpA as a result of a management buy-out. In 2005 Nuova Solmine SpA also acquired total control of So.Ri.S. SpA.

Today Nuova Solmine is the market leader in Italy and the Mediterranean basin in the production of sulphuric acid. Because of its unrivalled purity, the sulphuric acid produced by Nuova Solmine is ideal for many industrial processes, including water purification, synthetic fibres, pigments, pharmaceuticals, batteries, detergents and fertilisers among many others. Diluted sulphuric acid is also produced, which is marketed by Solbat, another company in the Sol Mar Group. Nuova Solmine is fully certified to ISO 9001, ISO 1400, UNI 10617, OHSAS 18001, ISO 50001 and the international EMAS Responsible Care Programme.

Focus on sustainability

Because of its broad range of activities, Nuova Solmine has a strong focus on research and development with the objective of continuously improving its production processes and minimising waste and CO2 emissions. Sustainability is therefore a priority at Nuova Solmine and its activities are considered particularly ‘virtuous’ by industry watchers from the point of view of clean energy and protection of the environment.

The complete absence of waste in the manufacturing processes (as opposed to the original procedure of baking the pyrite, and the significant amount of heat generated by the manufacturing process) allows virtually all of the energy to be produced with zero emissions of greenhouse gases. This is also due to the fact that sulphur combustion and its successive oxidisation do not produce any carbon dioxide gas emissions.

Nuova Solmine constantly maintains and upgrades its structures and machinery in order to keep its production facilities at the highest standard in order to guarantee optimal efficiency and dedicated care of the environment. The extensive Scarlino plant covers around 140 hectares and has an annual production capacity of more than 600,000 tonnes.

Pure diversity

The high-purity sulphuric acid produced by Nuova Solmine creates a strong mineral acid, which is liquid at ambient temperatures, and is also oily, colourless and odourless. The product’s chemical formula is notated as H2SO4. It is the most used base chemical in the industrial world. It is also a compound that is commonly used as the catalyser in essential chemical preparations such as alkylation, sulphonation, nitration and oil refining.

The sulphuric acid produced at the company’s Scarlino plant has an infinite range of industrial applications at both the laboratory and industrial levels. The list includes mineral treatments, chemical synthesis, oil refining, wastewater treatment, the production of inorganic acids and use in the iron and steel industries. It is also used in the food industry for starches and for distilleries, as well as for tanning, textiles, paper mills, car battery production, paints, pigments and pesticides. As a result of its high grade of purity, sulphuric acid manufactured by Nuova Solmine can be used in multiple industrial processes at both home and abroad.

expanding global reach

Nuova Solmine’s traditional markets include France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Israel, Turkey and Greece. However other markets are

also contributing increasingly to the company’s exports, namely Portugal and South America where high quality sulphuric acid plays a key role in metalworking processes and the production of high quality fertilisers.

Further investments in logistics will be bringing other global markets within reach, allowing the company to be continuously active on longhaul international routes. In addition, Nuova Solmine continues to install substantial storage tanks at its nearby Piombino harbour, as well as investing in a new and extensive stocking facility for the company’s bulk raw material, sulphur.

Steaming ahead

In the company’s Serravalle Scrivia Plant in northern Italy, Nuova Solmine produces demineralised water, steam and electricity. The state-of-the-art demineralised water production facility is initially fed from well-water that has first been sterilised, filtered and softened. Following this treatment the water then flows into three lines of reverse osmosis. This treated water then supplies the company’s production plants for the generation of steam, of which a small amount is used to produce a special sulphuric acid called ‘accumulator-acid’.

The Serravalle Scrivia plant produces demineralised water for internal use, whilst the Scarlino plant, with its production capacity of 100m3/h and stocking capacity of more than 1200m3, also uses part of the water to produce steam. At the Scarlino plant steam is produced from the heat generated from the combustion of sulphur and methane. The energy generated by the sulphuric acid exothermic process is used to produce electricity. This amounts to over 6000V, which in turn is used either in the plant, or transformed in its substation to 130KV, in order that it can be put into the national grid, to which the company’s power plant is connected. Approximately half of the normal production of energy generated by Nuova Solomine’s manufacturing processes is sold and the remaining energy used for consumption by the company’s own plants. n