Committed to environmental protection Nuova Solmine

coMMitted to environMental protection

Investment in a new final absorption tower is boosting efficiency and reducing emissions at Nuova Solmine’s sulphuric acid plant in Tuscany.

In October 2019 the Italian specialty chemicals company, Nuova Solmine, completed testing on a new DuPont™ MECS® ZeCor® Final Absorption Tower (FAT), designed and installed by DuPont Clean Technologies, at its double absorption sulfuric acid plant in Scarlino, Italy.

The MECS® ZeCor® alloy tower with MECS® UniFlo® Acid distributor and MECS® Brink® SCII Plus mist eliminators performed well below local regulator emissions limits (35 mg/Nm3) and acid mist also measured considerably below contractual performance guarantees (30 mg/Nm3).

By early 2017, the brick lining in the old FAT tower had started to deteriorate and required frequent maintenance, which affected production efficiency. DuPont Clean Technologies was awarded the turnkey contract to design, execute, supply and erect a replacement

tower made of lightweight and corrosion-resistant MECS® ZeCor® alloy in July 2017.

“We wanted to replace our old final absorption tower with a highly efficient new tower that would guarantee constant reliable emissions control and not require as much maintenance as the last one did,” said Gabriele Pazzagli, Scarlino Site Manager, Nuova Solmine.

From start to finish the complete project took 11 months with the replacement of the old brick-lined tower taking place during a planned plant turnaround in August 2018.

Regional leader

Nuova Solmine SpA is a leader in Italy and the Mediterranean basin in the production of sulphuric acid and oleum in various concentrations. Because of its highly pure qualities, the sulphuric acid produced by Nuova Solmine has many uses in industrial processes, including water purification, synthetic fibres, explosives, pharmaceuticals, pigments, batteries, paper, detergents, tanneries, plant protection products, fertilisers, plastic materials, foodstuffs, and in the iron and steel industry. SOLBAT, another company in the Sol Mar Group, produces and markets diluted sulphuric acid in various concentrations.

Nuova Solmine’s main plant is situated in Casone in the borough of Scarlino (Province of Grosseto) in southern Tuscany. It covers around 140 hectares of land and has an annual capacity of approximately 600,0000 tonnes.

Sulphuric acid is produced at the Nuova Solmine plant using the ‘contact process’. This process has significant advantages for both energy use and the environment. It eliminates the waste from the original procedure of baking the pyrite and significant heat production is generated that allows a large quantity of energy to be produced with zero emission of greenhouse gases (sulphur combustion and its successive oxidation do not produce any carbon dioxide gas emissions).

The energy generated by the sulphuric acid exothermic process at the plant is used to produce electrical energy. Approximately half of the normal production of energy is sold to the national grid and the remaining part is for consumption by the Nuova Solmine plant itself.

Acid from waste

The company’s Serravalle Scrivia plant, near Genoa, produces approximately 75,000 tonnes of sulphuric acid and oleum per annum through the treatment of waste containing sulphur and by regenerating spent acid. As a result of its use of advanced technology and the highly specialised skills of the personnel, the sulphuric acid is guaranteed a high grade of quality and purity comparable to that produced from sulphur, while at the same time contributing to the protection of and respect for the environment through the recovery of waste that would otherwise be disposed of.

The plant works in a continuous cycle, thus guaranteeing that clients can deliver their waste products all year round and avoid the

typical problems associated with such deliveries to other recycling organisms. The ample stocking facilities available for various types of waste are an added advantage.

mediterranean markets

Nuova Solmine’s market covers both Italy, where it is the leading company for the sulphuric acid and oleum, and abroad, with special interest in the Mediterranean - Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Israel, Turkey and Greece. Significant sales are also made to Portugal and South America where sulphuric acid plays a major part in the production of metals and fertilisers. Foreign sales are made directly to clients or through international trade. Nuova Solmine sells not only its own sulphuric acid but also sulphuric acid from various production sites abroad.

The most important, and nearest, foreign market is Spain (notably the Barcelo area) where Nuova Solmine founded its own company, Nuova Solmine Iberia, with its own storage for local distribution, in 2012. Nuova Solmine distributes its products through tanker trucks and other important facilities. The Scarlino site has a direct pipeline connected to a pier for charging vessels. It has also a railway junction that allows acid and oleum to be moved by train in special containers to its clients.

Nuova Solmine plants work on a continuous production cycle, 365 days per year to produce 670,000 tonnes of sulphuric acid per year, using about 210,000 tonnes of sulphur purchased from the main Italian refineries. Acid and oleum are stored in dedicated tanks of 76,000 tonnes of volume. Storage tanks charged on vessels are also used for national distribution. In 2013 Nuova Solmine invested in a logistics platform in the port of Vasto (CH) from which it supplies clients in the centre and the south of Italy

Respect for the environment, healthcare and the safety and quality of its products are essential to the success of Nuova Solmine. At the Scarlino Plant, an Integrated Management System is used to monitor environment, safety, quality and social responsibility, in addition to compliance with all the current regulations. The success of this management system is evident in the many recognitions and prizes that the company has received.