PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The ferrous foundry industry plays a central role in the European economy and production, covering activities such as automotive, railway systems, mechanical engineering, shipyards, wind turbines, etc. Casting is a widely used manufacturing process in this industry, in which molten metal is poured into a mould and allowed to solidify. In 2022, the European ferrous foundry sector consisted of 1,680 ferrous foundries, which produced 10.7 million tonnes of casting.
Over 90% of ferrous castings are produced using two sand moulds by compacting a mixture of sand, agglomerate/binder and additives around a pattern, which is a replica of the desired casting. A key component is the use of cores, which create internal cavities or openings in the final casting that cannot be formed by the mould alone. Cores are typically made of sand and chemical binders. The sand and binder mix are placed into core boxes, where the cores are shaped and hardened before being removed. The Phenolic Urethane Cold Box process -also known as “cold box amine process”- is the predominant method used for coremaking in most serial production foundries across Europe, accounting for 78% of usage.
In the amine cold box system, amines act as catalysts in the coremaking process and are not consumed in the chemical reaction. This means that, without any abatement technology, all amine input in the core shooters is released directly into the atmosphere. Average amine exhaust emissions in cold-box core shops are around 150 mg amine/m3. Currently, amine emissions from coremaking typically follow one of the following routes: direct release into the atmosphere, neutralisation with sulphuric or phosphoric acid in wet scrubbers, thermal oxidation in afterburner chambers for off-gases, or biological oxidation.
Until recently, the BREF document for Smitheries and Foundries set amine emission levels at <20 mg/Nm³. However, the revised BREF adopted on 29 November 2024 establishes a new emission level of <2.5 mg/Nm³, highlighting the urgent need for effective solutions in the foundry sector to reduce amine emissions.
OBJECTIVES
The main objective of LIFE REAMINE is to develop and validate an integrated, innovative, simple, cost-effective, sustainable and replicable technology for the collection and recovery of Non-methane volatile organic compound (NMVOC) emissions from the cold-box coremaking process. The proposed solution consists of a novel hybrid membrane-adsorption technology capable of capturing and recovering the amine gases commonly produced during coremaking, and subsequently recovering the amines in liquid phase for reuse within the same foundry.
This innovative emission abatement technology, along with the new approach to core production using regenerated catalysts, will provide clear support in meeting the latest requirements established in the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED 2.0) and the revised BREF for Smitheries and Foundries.
In addition, it will lead to improvements in terms of indoor air quality and odour control in the workplace and surrounding areas, contributing to compliance with occupational exposure limits for amine compounds, and supporting the prevention of work-related health risks.
RESULTS
- To construct and operate a prototype with a treatment capacity of 240 m3/day, achieving an overall amine abatement yield of over 90%. The solution will be adaptable and replicable in at least 78% of existing European foundries with serial production and cold box coremaking systems.
- To capture and treat more than 15,400 kg of amine emissions over two years of technology demonstration within the project.
- To obtain 13,860 kg of reclaimed amine with a purity level above 95%, meeting the technical specifications required for core production as a substitute for virgin amine.
- To reuse 100% of the reclaimed amines, validating the production conditions through their use in 2-3 core references with significant industrial impact.
- To advance compliance with the amine emission limit of 2.5 mg/m³ established in the latest BREF document for Smitheries and Foundries. Meeting this limit will result in a reduction of stack emissions of amine by over 87% (from 20 mg/m3 to 2.5 mg/m3). The project will also contribute to the reduction of other VOCs, such as phenol and formaldehyde, released from binder solvents and resin curing.
- To decrease worker exposure concentrations by 20%, ensuring safe concentration levels in work areas (consistently below the Occupational Exposure Limit of 6.1 mg/m³).
- To reduce odour levels by approximately 30% indoors and by over 90% outdoors the foundry.
